Reflected Past
by InuOtaku
Summary: [COMPLETE] Sesshoumaru forms a friendship with Midoriko, the young woman who creates the Shikon no Tama, & becomes involved in a battle against a veiled foe...centuries later, a threat resurfaces to target himself & Rin, & he must find a way to destroy it
1. An Unwelcome Rescue

**Chapter One - An Unwelcome Rescue**

It was that new sense again...the one she had so recently acquired, the one that had started tugging at her shortly after her fifteenth birthday. How it had come about, where it had suddenly come from, she did not know, but it was burning and insistent, alerting her to the nearness of evil. Midoriko rose to her feet, hands caked with dirt from where she had been rummaging in the garden outside her small house. She looked to the west, every nerve tingling and aware. Something invisible tugged at her feet and she found herself hurrying back inside the small wooden house. She grabbed for her bow and quiver of arrows, slinging them hastily over her shoulder before she ran back outside into the dewy morning.

Her sandaled feet seemed to know their own way as they rushed along some instinctive path. Her heart was pounding, the only other sounds the whistling of air soaring past her ears and her feet hitting the soft earth. It seemed even the birds had taken flight, fearful of the strange aura that was permeating the area. Midoriko had no idea what she was running toward, but felt sure it was going to be trouble.

It was the clanging sound of weapons that reached her ears first, violently ringing, unforgiving; obviously being wielded by beings who sincerely meant to use them for all they were worth. She sprinted up a steep embankment and skidded to a halt as she was greeted by the sight of a youkai battle. Tiger demons and...someone else. Midoriko's eyes narrowed as she watched the three tiger youkai descend upon their opponent, a tall demon of undetermined nature. He was rather pale, with long silvery-white hair that trailed to the middle of his back and golden eyes that were narrowed in concentration. He also appeared aptly attired for battle, a glowing green whip dangling from long, sharp fingertips, and he was eyeing his enemies warily, coolly, as though completely unconcerned that he was outnumbered.

From the fatigued look about them and the number of inflicted wounds on all involved, Midoriko judged that this fight must have been going on for quite some time. She watched from her higher vantage point as the silver-haired demon's whip cracked through the air, sending one of his enemies sprawling with a growled curse. He possessed an eerie gracefulness that Midoriko found captivating, and, impressively enough, he seemed able to handle himself well against the other three, despite not being armed with a sword as they were.

Having grown up in a village known for its population of demon exterminators, Midoriko knew better than to stand around and gawk at a youkai battle, but something rooted her to the spot. The white demon was charged on two sides, the third tiger demon coming up from behind to impale him through the back with his blade, shoving it in to the hilt before withdrawing it with a brilliant splatter of blood. Midoriko watched the white demon stiffen from the assault. He then turned with a motion swifter than sight to claw the throat out of his assailant, sending the demon flying backward several feet before whirling to face the other two.

Without thinking, Midoriko raised her bow and reached back for her arrows, firing three in such rapid succession that the tiger youkai, even with their renowned reflexes, never saw them coming. The arrows emitted a fiery purple light as they pierced the demons' flesh, sealing them instantly, their souls eternally trapped within bodies that ceased to function. Senseless, the attackers crashed into their intended victim who had been momentarily distracted by the sudden barrage of arrows, all three dropping to the ground with a gracelessness that defied their nature. A kindness had probably been done for the third tiger youkai who had never risen after his opponent's clawing attack. It looked to Midoriko as though it would have been a mortal wound, anyway.

Half-stumbling, half-sliding down the incline, Midoriko moved hesitantly toward the pile of youkai, wondering from the silence if they had indeed managed to kill their opponent. Why she cared to find out was beyond her, for she had always been told that the most dangerous of demons wore a human form. Even so, her traitorous feet pulled her along, curious, questioning.

With a suddenness that surprised her and a growl that chilled her blood, Midoriko watched as the two inert tiger demons were tossed effortlessly aside, their bodies as limp as wet blankets. The white-haired demon sat up, a feral expression on his face, his pristine white clothing now stained crimson with blood that was emanating from that newly-inflicted chest wound.

Midoriko halted her forward movement when she caught a glimpse of his face; it bore the look of a predator who had been denied his kill...and she had been the one to steal his prey. Wondering at her own stupidity for even involving herself in a youkai matter, Midoriko started to back away as the demon's red-glazed eyes locked onto her. He stood stiffly. _Gods, what was I _thinkingshe wondered, her panicked heart thumping against her rib cage. Perhaps she had helped the wrong side of this battle….

"You dare interfere, human brat?" the demon grated at her, his chest heaving, either through pain or suppressed rage, she did not know, but either way the murderous glint in his eyes told her that she had better speak up. She watched as he flexed the lethal-looking claws at the ends of his fingertips.

_Baka Midoriko…_

"I...I was trying to help," she stammered the explanation, barely able to believe what she had just done. It was that damned sense...the one that whispered to her of pending danger, warned of the close proximity of evil, and, apparently, prompted her to defend a demon who should have been no concern of hers. After all, what did demons do except bring misery to humans? Disdain them for existing around them? The villagers would be appalled at what she had just done. In her mind's eye she could see a host of demon exterminators shaking their heads at her in disapproval. Her brother would have demanded to know why she had withheld a _fourth_ arrow. _You stupid, stupid girl…_

Disdain was definitely what she was seeing in his eyes, almost as though he could hardly bear to look at her. Along with wounded pride, perhaps? But as her head mentally dissected his state of mind, the demon rushed toward her in a blur that her eyes were barely able to register. A strong hand wrapped itself into the worn material of her old kimono, claws grazing against her neck as she suddenly found herself being hauled up to face level. Her feet dangled in the open air as she met his angry gaze, two fiercely red eyes burning into hers. The change was amazing. He had transformed from a calm, composed, almost angelic-looking warrior to a terrifying, wild-eyed devil that looked to be seriously contemplating how best to remove her from existence.

"Learn your place, girl! It's not among youkai," he spoke lowly, in a dangerous tone that seemed incongruous coming from such a young face. "You stupid humans don't have sense enough to know when to mind your own business. It's no wonder your life spans are so pitifully short."

"You were outnumbered..."

"It was certainly no concern of _yours_." He released her then, and Midoriko was dropped unceremoniously onto her rear. He glared down at her with menacing intent and she nervously recalled the way he had so easily ripped the throat out of the tiger youkai. But the red fury in his eyes suddenly faded as he looked away from her, tilting his head slightly and sniffing at the air.

A blurred movement out of the corner of her eye caused Midoriko to turn her head to watch as another being materialized a few feet away from them. At first he seemed almost god-like, radiating a fierce glow that slowly dissipated until he stood before them, dressed quite similarly to and appearing to be a somewhat older version of the demon she had just attempted to help. This youkai had the same regal bearing, but his face was kinder, not nearly as cold and imperious as the younger demon.

"Sesshoumaru...?" he started to question, frowning with apparent concern at the other's disheveled, blood-soaked form.

"Yes, Father," the younger demon replied, seeming to answer an unasked question, his tone instantly changing from threatening to respectful in his patriarch's presence.

Midoriko rose back to her feet, wondering briefly if it was best to remain still and quiet or to try to flee. She settled for simply watching as the elder demon walked over to inspect the bodies of the fallen tiger youkai. He reached out one claw to touch the feathered shaft of one of the arrows and was rewarded with a shock that prompted him to draw his hand back, a scant look of surprise on his perfect features.

"They've been sealed," he said almost questioningly to Sesshoumaru before his golden eyes locked onto Midoriko with an inscrutable expression, as though judging her soul. She suddenly wished she had followed her instinct to flee as the older demon then rose and moved toward her. Midoriko cast an apprehensive glance up at Sesshoumaru's sullen expression.

"Did you do this, miko?" came the careful question, spoken in a rumbling voice that she could swear was reverberating underneath her feet. Though he did not exude the same feral atmosphere as his son, he was intimidation in pure, physical form; spiked shoulder armor gleamed in the morning light, double-furred pelts fell across both shoulders, and her eyes moved to the swords he wore; three of them, one at his back, two at his side. He was darker-skinned than Sesshoumaru, marked differently. He gave off the feel of a ruler, an aura of unwavering confidence and authority. It made Midoriko feel as though she should answer and be swift about it.

"Yes," she replied quickly. "But I am no miko."

The expression did not alter at all save for a blinking of those mesmerizing eyes. "Then how were you able to seal those youkai?"

Midoriko shook her head, loose hair swaying with the movement. "I cannot explain. It is something that I have recently acquired the ability to do. I don't know why. There's no precedent for it in my family or my village."

He appeared curious and thoughtful at her honest explanation, but not threatening. In fact, she could almost swear she was seeing the vaguest hint of a small smile crossing his lips as he added, "You meant to save my son's life."

"I..._no_, he was doing fine on his own," she stammered quickly, not wishing to make Sesshoumaru any more wrathful. As it was, she noticed that his claws were twitching slightly, as though itching to throttle her for her audacity.

"He is still very young. His skills are excellent, but even he would have had difficulty with those three." He spared his son an affectionate glance and, slightly more confident that the confrontation was at an end, Midoriko relaxed some, feeling her shoulders unknot a bit as Sesshoumaru's father explained regretfully, "It was my own fault. I put him into a difficult position."

Sesshoumaru went visibly rigid as he listened to his father's words, as though they had been a reprimand rather than a veiled apology. She could swear she could hear a low, rumbling growl coming from him.

The elder demon bowed his head to Midoriko and smiled thinly, acutely aware of his son's discomfort. "Young lady, I shall reward your kindness. Few humans would have bothered to interfere. I will remember."

Midoriko mutely shook her head, anxious now to return to her brother, who would surely be home by now, wondering where she was, complaining about the lack of lunch. And just _how _was she to explain this? She would have to swear Shijin to secrecy or else she would never be able to show her face in the village again. "Please, there's no need, but I must return," she excused herself quickly, feet already treading carefully backward. "I'm...needed elsewhere." With a nervous farewell, she turned and started to walk up the hill toward her home, pausing only to gather her bow and arrows, fully expecting to feel a pair of claws being shoved into her back at any moment.

Inutaisho watched her go, then turned with upraised eyebrows to Sesshoumaru. "She is from that village of youkai exterminators. Interesting."

"_Interfering_ is more accurate. I would not have lost," Sesshoumaru muttered, eyeing the human girl's retreating form. He would absolutely be within his rights to chase the bitch down. _How utterly devoid of conscious thought must she be to have done something so ridiculous and infuriating? _His blood still boiled from the heated battle, yearning for a kill, his body already working furiously to mend itself. How _frustrating._

"You need a sword," his father commented then after a moment of silence.

"I will wait for yours. Until then, what I have will be good enough."

"You'll be waiting a long time, Sesshoumaru," Inutaisho replied smoothly to the usual response, grinning humorously at this boy that took himself so seriously. "And don't look so murderous. There are worse things than being rescued by a pretty little human girl."

"I _wasn't_ rescued."

* * *

Midoriko nearly forgot about her strange encounter with the white demon in the months that followed, but, then, she and her village had matters of a much greater concern to contend with, problems that pushed everything else to the back of her mind. For reasons that none of the monks could determine, their village was consistently being attacked by youkai after youkai. The assumption was that the demons intended the destruction of the village, which produced its own army of youkai exterminators who were often called upon to aid other villages with their own demonic battles. Now, though, with this sudden increase in attacks on their own homes, the exterminators worried over leaving the village at all, which led to matters of conscience: To protect their own and allow those calls for help to fall on deaf ears? Or to leave themselves vulnerable in an attempt to aid others?

Midoriko wondered if this was purposeful, a pact among the demons who sought to control the area, a way to keep the exterminators at bay so they could go about their business of destroying the human population around them. It was known fact that they resented sharing with what they declared to be an inferior species; to youkai, humans were nothing more than an unwanted infestation that needed to be eliminated. Yet that did not seem right, either. Though the attacks against Midoriko's village continued to increase, the ones against the neighboring villages were slowly trailing off, as though the exterminators had earned the whole focus of their neighboring demons.

The attacks were taking a toll on the exterminators. Midoriko knew this first-hand. Her older brother had been among the injured at the end of the last youkai encounter. Even after nearly a week of care from his sister, Shijin was weakening from the effects of the poison that had incapacitated him and two other villagers. As she dunked a wooden bucket into the stream outside their house, absently watching as the water swirled inward to fill it, Midoriko morosely pondered what more she could do for him. Shijin was young and very strong, but everything she did seemed only to prolong the inevitable. It made her feel desperately uneasy, this slow deterioration; it was something she had seen in others before, and he was all she had left now...

Standing with the now-heavier bucket, Midoriko turned, eyes roving to rest on the form of a man that had somehow soundlessly materialized behind her. In her surprise, she gasped and dropped the bucket, but with reflexes that were nothing short of amazing, the demon's hand shot outward, grasping the handle with deceptively refined fingers before it could make contact with the already rain-drenched soil and spill its contents. Blinking in wordless confusion, Midoriko's addled mind prompted her to recognize him as Sesshoumaru's father.

"Forgive me," he requested sincerely, setting the bucket on the sodden ground. "I sometimes forget that human ears are often not adept enough to register the approach of a youkai."

"Why are you here?" she asked nervously, glancing back at the small, clapboard house and belatedly realizing that it was a rather rude greeting on her part, but his arrival had been so completely unexpected that her voice was reacting before her manners.

He graced her with a faint smile, appearing to forgive the lapse in etiquette. "I have a debt to repay, if you recall," he answered her, and she watched with openly wary curiosity as he extended a bundle toward her, one that was rather long and thin, wrapped and tied within some soft black cloth.

Fingers extending, she took the proffered object, eyes flickering up to the demon's face to see if there appeared to be some trick involved, but he watched her impassively, arms hanging loosely at his sides. He prompted her with a gesture to uncover it, and when she did she saw the hilt of a sword encased within a sheath that felt nearly leathery to the touch. It was a rather average-looking sword, but one that looked to be brand new. She tentatively pulled it free from its protective covering, surprised at how feather-light it was despite the obvious quality of its construction. The blade gleamed in the morning sun and Midoriko watched as her reflection looked back at her, unblinking, all dark hair, light brown eyes, and an expression of pure confusion.

"I don't understand..." she began to voice her thoughts, but she was quickly silenced by his interjection.

"I received word of the problems your village has been having with youkai attacks. I thought that this would be a suitable reward."

She became quiet at that, registering faint surprise that someone such as this being would even bother to listen for the petty problems of one human village, particularly when that human village's specialization was the destruction of his own kind. Though, Midoriko could admit, somehow she doubted the exterminators would find it so easy to exterminate_ this _particular youkai. "I don't know how to use a sword," she admitted honestly.

"It will teach you how to wield it properly," came the enigmatic reply, and she found those unnerving eyes leveled on her once more in what looked to be an appraising manner.

"Teach me?" she murmured, eyes reverting back to the weapon as though expecting it to begin speaking to her "How can that be?"

"That is no ordinary sword," he warned her. "It is capable of purifying demons if wielded by the right hand. A strange gift from a youkai to a human, I grant you, but I am confident in your intentions. I am rarely wrong in my judgment of others."

"What makes you think that _my_ hand is the right one?" she questioned, head shaking of its own accord. She had always disliked swords as weapons, which was why she had escaped training to use them in exchange for her bow. Swords tended to be bulky, heavy, and were less accurate in her mind than one of her arrows, which she could place with pinpoint accuracy.

The youkai smiled benignly at her, appearing amused, as though sharing a secret with her. "Because I had it forged for _you_."

"Oh," Midoriko mumbled stupidly. She frowned in consternation, half of her wanting to return the gift. Things had taken a strange enough turn over the past year without having demons popping up at her home, handing out random enchanted swords in gratitude for something she should have stayed out of in the first place. And since when did a youkai care to express gratitude to a human for _anything_? she wondered suspiciously, gaze traveling back up to her visitor's disconcertingly handsome face.

"You are a strange girl...ah...?" he prompted for her name and she gave it to him.

"Midoriko."

"Midoriko. You possess an ability generally held by trained mikos, yet you are not one. You have powers that you do not appear to realize, but I can tell you that they are quite evident to youkai. The day you helped my son, his desire to kill you was still strong even after he knew that you meant no harm to him. He resisted, but he could instinctively sense that you were a possible threat to him. I feel the same, though I am not as..._hostile_...as Sesshoumaru tends to be."

Midoriko frowned deeply then. His words were giving her a deep feeling of unease, and she did what she could to refute them. "That is ridiculous. I just happen to be good with a bow. I've practiced for years, but I'm not even one of the exterminators." Finished with this bizarre encounter, she tried to hand the sword back to him. "If you're looking for someone to use this thing properly then I would suggest you wait and speak to my brother."

"That sword will prove the things I have said," the demon replied seriously, gesturing to the weapon with one clawed finger but refusing to accept it from her extended hands. "You have a lot of unfulfilled potential, and your village will need you now that its exterminators are being targeted by vengeful youkai."

Midoriko regarded him with open suspicion, everything that she had ever been taught about youkai surfacing within her, telling her not to believe his words, not to trust _him_, but there was something else about this youkai, something inherent about him that seemed to argue against distrust. It was instinct versus mind, and she wasn't sure which one to heed. "If what you say is true, then _why _would you arm me with a weapon that can destroy your own kind?"

"The mindless youkai who attack your village are no concern of mine. They exist for the purpose of wreaking destruction. They are a nuisance. Obliterate them to your heart's content and you will hear nothing from me or the more civilized of the youkai." He stopped and looked at her seriously then, tone radiating stern admonition. "However, I will warn you; that sword is bound to eventually attract the attention of stronger youkai than what your village is accustomed to fighting. You will have to be prepared for them. Until then, protect your people, Midoriko."

She was stunned silent at his words, turning the sword over in her hands as if looking for some sign of magical ability to become glaringly obvious within the blade. Her thoughts churned fiercely inside her head, pondering his words, but he was not like any other demon she had ever encountered. He spoke of her village as though it were a child that needed to be tended to, not something that offended him for its very existence. She had always been one to trust her instincts.

His eye contact with her broke then and swerved toward the house, wind sweeping through the silence that descended. Finally, he looked toward her again, expression unreadable. "There is a very ill man inside your home," he stated what his senses told him.

She nodded hesitantly, faintly surprised by the turn in conversation. "Yes. My brother. He was poisoned during the last demon attack. It is some sort of venom we haven't encountered before, and so we're not sure how to treat it."

"I'll send what he needs," came the softly-voiced promise, and his expression lightened some as he witnessed her obvious relief.

"There are others in the village, too. Two of them. We---"

"I'll send enough," he agreed. "And now my debt is repaid, young Midoriko."

Her eyes settled on his back as he turned away, preparing to leave, but her voice stopped him almost before she realized she had spoken. "Excuse me, but I don't even know your name. You never---"

"Inutaisho," came the name, expressed as he paused in his departure to glance over his shoulder at her with faint humor. "It does surprise me that you live in this village and do not know. The naivete of youth and inexperience, I suppose. Something tells me your brother would need no introduction," he said in a tone that suggested he was teasing her.

_Inutaisho_, she repeated silently, feeling suddenly stupid. Dog demon. The leader of the dog demons. Was there a more renowned youkai in western Japan? She doubted it, and that only increased her feeling of foolishness.

"Ah, and Midoriko..." his voice reached her ears once more, and she glanced up at him, expectant.

"Yes?"

"When Sesshoumaru arrives with the medicine for your brother, I must ask, though admittedly difficult it may be, for you to restrain yourself from attempting to purify him."

She blinked at the request, for such a thing had not even entered her mind. She was still not even certain she would be able to _use_ the weapon properly. In fact, the thought of possessing it at all made her nervous. "Will it work against him?"

He smiled again, obviously amused as he answered, "Eventually, when you are stronger, perhaps. But until then, it'll just make him mad."


	2. Lessons

**Chapter Two - Lessons**

"Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"What?" came the toneless reply, voiced by one who sounded fit to expire from boredom.

Myouga hopped into the room, burdened by a string-tied package that was several times his size, huffing the entire way. Sesshoumaru spared the little flea demon a glance of irritation before returning to his reading, perusing the letter sent from one of his father's many watchful allies. It contained warnings about more tiger youkai having been spotted prowling the southwestern border of his father's lands, gave reports of what the south was doing in response to the growing problem. Sesshoumaru was almost gleeful at the idea of getting another go at those rabid, brainless bastards. _They think they can storm their way through this region as they have the others? Heh._

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Myouga prompted again and, not getting the attention he was aiming for, bounded onto the mahogany desk, carefully shifting the package that threatened his precarious balance.

"You're bothering me, Myouga," Sesshoumaru warned mildly, eyes moving to scour another page, fighting the urge to flick the annoying creature out of his sight.

"Inutaisho-sama wants you to deliver this," Myouga pressed on, dropping the package beside the young demon's hand.

At that statement, Sesshoumaru glanced down at the offending bundle, noticing immediately the bitter, medicinal smell wafting from it. Its contents had clearly come from the cellar of their home, where Inutaisho kept such ingredients. "Why and to whom?" he inquired with offended dignity.

Myouga's sense of danger kicked in then and he propelled himself off of the desk and safely out of range of any wayward fists. Sounding nervous, the flea coughed into one tiny hand and quickly replied, "It's for the human girl in the village. An antidote for poison." Not waiting for his young master's reaction to that declaration, Myouga fled the room.

_An antidote, eh? All the more reason not to deliver it_, Sesshoumaru thought, conjuring the image of that wretched child that had inserted herself into _his_ battle. _Drop dead, you filthy creature. _Now supremely annoyed, he grabbed the package of herbs and left the room, intent on locating his father.

It only took a quick, storming inspection of the house to track him down. Inutaisho was in the process of cleaning his sword when Sesshoumaru materialized, youthful features calm as marble, but radiating a smoldering irritation that Inutaisho felt certain was being aimed in his direction. The young demon held up the package of medicine, holding it between two claws as though insulted by even having to touch it.

"_Why_ am I to be a delivery boy to a human village?" came the frosty question.

Inutaisho was silent for several moments as he placed the sword back into its sheath and laid it carefully on the table. It was a purposeful quiet, as he often found that Sesshoumaru needed to be reminded at times of precisely who had the authority in this household. Sesshoumaru's venomous disposition and penchant for cruelty often disturbed Inutaisho into wondering just how he had managed to raise such a quiet, curious child into someone whose heart was often alternately consumed by a festering rage or a chilling dispassion.

Such anger could only lead to self-destruction, of the body or soul. But Sesshoumaru's heart, struggling though it might be, was capable of other things, he had seen it, and so Inutaisho often tried to do what he could to enforce lessons of kindness and restraint and charity on his son. '_Manipulate' would be the better word_, he thought wryly. _Just as I am doing now. _

Finally, feeling that his silent reminder of dominance had been clear, he turned to regard Sesshoumaru. "You'll do it because I asked you to. I have other matters to attend to, as you saw in the letter."

"Those are matters that _I_ should be helping you with, if not taking care of them on your behalf entirely," came the dark response.

"Sesshoumaru," Inutaisho said calmly, "your assistance is invaluable to me and that is also why I ask you to stay. I will not be drawn to the southwestern border and leave everything else undefended, nor will I sit at home like an old man and send my son to do what is still my responsibility."

"And_ this_?" Sesshoumaru gestured to the package again, which he dangled between his fingertips with marked distaste.

"It was something I promised to Midoriko. Please see that she gets it and knows what to do with it."

"Father, don't involve me in one of your human..._distractions_," Sesshoumaru complained, disgust dripping from each word. Inutaisho's overt fondness for humans was something that his son heartily disapproved of. In Sesshoumaru's mind it was undignified and a disgrace to their family, particularly when that fondness escalated into something more. He was lucky that thus far he had been spared a trail of bastard hanyou siblings, but at the rate his father was pairing up with human women, it would only be a matter of time.

Inutaisho shook his head, but couldn't help smiling at the expression of revulsion on his son's face. "She's just a child, Sesshoumaru. My intentions are to help her only. I will ask you to do the same in my absence."

"Truly, your sympathies for humans are misplaced," Sesshoumaru stated. _And pathetic_, came the mental addition.

Inutaisho ignored the comment, walking away to peer out into the inky blackness of nightfall that hovered outside their house. The chirping crickets fell into silence as he stepped outside the room, finally addressing Sesshoumaru. "Give her the medicine and keep an eye on her. Make certain she doesn't try to hunt down the wrong youkai. That will only bring more problems."

"Then _why_ would you give her such a weapon?" came the incredulous inquiry.

Inutaisho turned to glance back at his son, eyebrows raised as though it should be obvious. "Beyond the fact that she tried to help you, you mean?" He laughed lowly, head shaking. "I may not know precisely what that girl is, but I can sense that she will be powerful one day. Would it not be best to ensure that she is securely on our side?"

"We don't need a human's aid."

"No, perhaps not, but having that girl out there armed with that sword means she'll be able to take care of some of our smaller...annoyances, simply by protecting her own village. That's always useful. If she proves that she cannot be trusted with the weapon, it will have to be taken from her."

"If you're worried about her becoming an especially powerful exterminator, then why not just kill her?" Sesshoumaru inquired darkly, more than ready to volunteer for the job.

Exhaling a heavy breath as he stared ruefully back at his single-minded son, Inutaisho admonished, "Because that's not how you repay a kindness, even if it is undesired, and even if it comes from a human."

* * *

Midoriko's sense of danger was throbbing warningly long before she finally went to the door and pulled it open. Looming at the threshold with an icy, unhappy expression was the dog demon, Sesshoumaru, the temperature dropping several degrees just from his arrival. He made no move to enter the house, instead inspecting her through shrewdly narrowed eyes, lording about at the front door as though he was doing her a favor by deigning to grace her with his presence, and she quickly discovered that he _was_. 

"You don't appear to be dying," he stated, voice ringing with complaint, as though she should apologize for her good health. Without further comment, he tossed a crumpled package at her.

With an inhalation of surprise and a hopeful, pounding heart, Midoriko untied the string, the paper falling open to reveal a small pile of dried leaves mixed with some strange, moldy-smelling powder. Abandoning her guest there with the door flung wide open, Midoriko hurried over to the cooking fire, quickly setting some of the mixture to boil in a pot of water, then carefully re-wrapping the remains, intending to take it into the village. Her nose wrinkled faintly at the smell, like pickled radishes trying to converge with something undefined. She hoped it would work, because the odor was terrible.

"And this will cure my brother?" she finally asked cautiously, brown eyes lifting to study Sesshoumaru.

"Not it alone."

Appearing dismayed, she cocked her head at the impassive demon who still had yet to step a foot inside the front door. "What else do I have to do?"

"Be _patient_!" he spat angrily, finally stepping inside and shutting the heavy door with a slam. The wall shook violently at that action and he sneered at the shoddy construction of this tiny human hovel.

"Don't be so loud!" Midoriko hissed the reprimand, eyes sparking with warning. She cast a look toward a door that was slightly ajar, left so in order for her to be able to hear Shijin. "He's trying to sleep."

"He'll live," Sesshoumaru stated, sounding regretful. Moving with a fluidity that spoke of his battle prowess, he pulled the bubbling pot off of the flames and poured the concoction into a bowl Midoriko provided, ready to flee this dismaying hole as soon as was possible. He thought it entirely possible that he had never so resented his father as he did in that moment, shut into close quarters with these aggravating humans and their petty problems. And _that_ was saying something, considering the list of grievances he could easily summon to mind from decades of living with him and obeying his various whims and commands.

Standing back a few steps, Midoriko watched as Sesshoumaru's right hand lifted to hover over the steaming liquid, the flesh taking on a sickly green glow. A noxious odor filled the air and she instinctively covered her mouth and held her breath, eyes watering painfully. Something dripped from his claws into the bowl, reacting with the medicinal herbs by sizzling and popping into an angry, yellow ooze.

"Poison," she gasped, practically choking on the fumes.

He withdrew his hand, which instantly reverted to its normal coloring, and wordlessly handed her the bowl. She accepted it hesitantly, her eyes flickering up to his cold face. "You want me to give this to him?"

"If you want to save his life, then yes."

"But you just..."

"_Idiot_ girl. If I had come here to kill you and your brother, the both of you would already be rotting, scrap pieces of flesh. And though it's tempting, more so every time you open your mouth, my intention is to follow through with my father's requests so that I can return to things more worthy of my notice." He averted his eyes, looking on the verge of sighing his impatience as he added, "Those herbs will do nothing if given to him on their own; the venom has spread too far. Giving it to him in this manner will _force_ the ingredients to react and destroy the poison that came from me, and in that manner, it will greatly lessen the effects of the other demon's attack, enough so that his body will no longer be overwhelmed and will be able to heal on its own."

"Make him sicker in order to heal him," Midoriko murmured suspiciously. She did not like that prospect at all. If this had come from Sesshoumaru alone, she would not have even thought of giving it to her brother, but the aid had been sent by Inutaisho-sama and he had been nothing but kind and respectful, _oddly_ so given his position, and she felt better about trusting him than his easily-aggravated son. And that was when she remembered Sesshoumaru's other revelation. "His 'requests'?" Midoriko repeated the words, hoping for more detail.

"Yes," Sesshoumaru replied acidly, "one of which has now been fulfilled. The other is to make sure you use that damned sword properly and don't run around waving it at far less patient youkai."

"Less patient than _you_?" she inquired in mock amazement, clutching the bowl in her arms as she turned her back to him and slipped into her brother's room.

Sesshoumaru glared after her. _Father, I will remember this..._

* * *

"Sis, you can't be serious," Shijin said carefully, eyeing Sesshoumaru with a wary stare. A brilliantly sunny day poured down around them as the demon moved to stand several feet in front of Midoriko, looking infinitely calm, a sword clutched in one hand. 

Despite the brightness of day, there was an irrepressible early autumn chill hanging in the air. A cool breeze ruffled Midoriko's long dark hair as she studied her opponent. Shijin was right. She was crazy to be doing this. In any case, hadn't Inutaisho-sama told her the sword would teach her how to use it properly? Though Sesshoumaru's rather rudely stated point about how ridiculous she would look attempting to take on her first demon by just pointing the blade and hoping its ability to purify would magically switch on _did _have some merit.

"_I _can teach you to wield a sword," Shijin said quietly to his sister, feeling a heavy dread settle in his stomach. He had been fighting with the exterminators for nearly a decade, was more than adept at using such a weapon, and so he could not understand why Midoriko would prefer her training to be left in the hands of a youkai who clearly thought she was a waste of his precious time.

"Fool," Sesshoumaru said disdainfully, displaying that he was perfectly able to hear their conversation. "Do you think a demon opponent will lower his standards to accommodate a pathetic human girl?"

Midoriko looked over at her brother and recognized that hard set to his face, saw that he was gearing up for a fight, so she quickly calmed him with a placating hand gesture. "He's right, Shijin, who better for me to practice on?"

"Purify the bastard," Shijin muttered, moving away to situate himself wearily at the base of an aged tree that leaned precariously toward their house. In the week since he and the other villagers had been given the medicine to combat the poison, all had made a great improvement, enough so that the village headman had approached Midoriko with the possibility of growing the herbs themselves. Midoriko had not broached the subject thus far with Sesshoumaru, but she had a good idea of what his reply would be: an obnoxious statement followed by an emphatic "no" was most probable. Perhaps that was something best left for when Inutaisho-sama returned...

"If you hurt her, demon, I'll be glad to go inside and get my own weapon. An actual exterminator versus a youkai ought to be a more interesting fight," Shijin called warningly, prompting the visiting youkai to look his direction, sneer sliding firmly into place.

"Don't make it any more tempting," Sesshoumaru replied, bringing his blade up as though readying to attack. "If I were you, I would raise that sword," he warned Midoriko an instant before he leapt at her.

Midoriko's reflexes barely responded in time to bring up the blade and block the swing. Her wrist stung from the impact, arm trembling slightly from the reverberations of the clash of metal against metal. She stepped back uncertainly, hand clutching the hilt with nervous fingers. Sesshoumaru started to circle her and she turned with him, feeling as though she was being stalked by a predator. She watched his hand carefully for signs of impending movement, but had serious doubts that her sight would be able to match the speed he was capable of summoning. She listened as his voice rang out in the cool air, empty and bored.

"You are not going to win a battle with brute strength," he informed her, wearing the expression of one who had been surrendered to martyrdom. "I would suggest you try to figure out exactly what power it was that my father saw in you and use it."

"He told me not to purify you," she argued quietly, eyes lighting on Sesshoumaru's face as she recalled the day Inutaisho-sama had brought her the sword.

"We're here for a reason. _Do_ something," came the insistent, icy demand.

Midoriko eyed him reticently, then glanced down at her sword. The shimmering metal gleamed back up at her, reflecting daylight. She felt her hand move to a more comfortable grip. There was definitely something about this sword; holding it, she could feel a slight thrum running from the blade to her fingers, a sort of tingling awareness that reminded her of the sense that warned her of danger. She wondered how she was supposed to use this thing, thinking longingly of her comfortable bow and arrows poised next to the door, just inside the house. But if what Inutaisho-sama had told her was true, then what made her arrows special came from _her_. She didn't have to rely on them.

Bringing up the blade, she swung it at Sesshoumaru, who side-stepped it effortlessly. Midoriko did not step back from her assault, relaxing some when she saw that he indeed was not fighting back to harm her. He lazily blocked her attacks or simply stepped out of the way, all the while watching her with an intensity that unnerved her. He looked as though he was waiting for something.

Yet nothing happened. Midoriko continued to lunge at him, settling into what she assumed was some sort of fighting stance. She tried to recall her brother's training when their father had taught him swordsmanship, remembering small amounts of their sessions together. She had been just a little girl then, making small bouquets of flowers from the wild fields that grew up around their house, heedless of the fact that one day she would be trying to swing one of the things at an opponent who would be capable of crushing her to pulp with one unrestrained fist. _Now_ she wished she had paid more attention.

Appearing to have grown weary of the lack of progress, Sesshoumaru surprised her then by starting to fight back with more aggression. He smashed his sword repeatedly against hers, using more strength to power each blow until Midoriko found herself stumbling back under the onslaught. She vaguely heard her brother yell a warning above the swishing sounds of metal slicing through empty air and tried to regain her footing. Distracted by her aching arms and back, Midoriko failed to fend off one of the swings and felt cold metal slice through her stomach, the impact expelling the air from her lungs and bringing flashes of white to her vision. She fell to her knees, her mind numbly registering that that would surely be a fatal wound.

Time seemed to freeze as she knelt on the muddy ground, drawing painful breaths, heart pounding ferociously. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sesshoumaru come into view, and she sensed that he was about to lower the sword once more. There was a rush of blurred movement as Shijin ran to tackle the demon, but he was shoved away easily with an absent, one-handed push, landing with a heavy thump off to the side. At that, a strange instinct overtook Midoriko and she grasped the sword with a grip so hard her knuckles audibly cracked. That agony faded away, her breathing slowed. She pushed herself unsteadily back to her feet and took a wild, angry swing at her opponent, feeling certain now that the worst mistake she had ever made was interfering in that battle, trusting Inutaisho-sama, believing _this_ horrid creature...

A sudden gathering of energy began whirling about the blade and a flash of lavender-tinged light shot outward. Sesshoumaru pulled up his own weapon, attempting to block the bolt of energy which still hit him with enough force to knock him backward several steps. His eyebrows rose thoughtfully, watching her as though she had just now become worthy of his interest.

"You _bastard_!" Midoriko raged at him, sparing a glance over her shoulder to check on Shijin who was just exiting the house at a run, his own weapon grasped firmly in hand, face bent on murder. Not at all liking the idea of him actually trying to fight the offspring of a taiyoukai in a weakened state, she pulled back and swung at Sesshoumaru again, who raised his sword in a purely defensive posture, appearing curious and expectant.

This time the attack hit him harder and he could feel the hair on his arms stand on end, his muscles spasming under a sensation that felt like sharp teeth were biting at every nerve, rattling his bones. It was _not _a comfortable feeling. His demon instincts craved to claw the girl to shreds, but he restrained himself, thinking again that his father must have been insane to give such a weapon to a human, particularly one who would apparently be able to wield it.

Midoriko, tensed and ready for him to start tearing into her again after that assault, was surprised to see Sesshoumaru suddenly sheath his sword, blade snapping into place with a snap of finality. Shijin moved to stand in front of her, his back blocking most of her view as he extended his own weapon to point threateningly at their youkai guest.

Looking supremely unconcerned, Sesshoumaru spoke his conclusion. "It seems as though the sword will respond to you after all, brat."

"This was supposed to be _training_!" she grated back fiercely, voice sounding raw to her own ears. "_Why_ did you...," she paused then, aware once more of the complete absence of pain. Her eyes roved downward to inspect her body, noting the complete and astonishing absence of any visible wound. It simply wasn't there, no trace of blood, no torn clothing. Nothing. She looked back up at Sesshoumaru, confusion overwhelming the anger. "I don't understand. I _felt _it..."

Sounding bored, Sesshoumaru explained, "I could cut your head from your shoulders with this sword and it would do you no harm." His clawed hand moved to grasp the hilt resting at his side. "Tenseiga is a healing sword."

Shijin lowered his own weapon at that revelation, wearing a look of amazement that was mirrored on his sister's face. "Incredible..."

"_Useless_," Sesshoumaru corrected. "But I would suggest that you find a way to keep your temper at the ready when you attempt to use that sword, girl." His disdainful gaze flickered briefly to Shijin's dark-eyed mistrust. "Or perhaps try throwing your brother into harm's way. That seems to make the blade respond." He folded his arms over his chest, gaze settling once more on the still-awestruck Midoriko, weighted with sincere warning. "Kill those that attack this village, but I warn you not to search out an opponent on your own. If you cause too much trouble, I'll have to come take that sword back."

Midoriko's ears registered the words and the relaxed manner, wondering if Sesshoumaru was teasing her in some way, but he watched her with a sort of bland annoyance, and so she decided to take his warning seriously.


	3. An Encounter With The Devil

**Chapter Three - An Encounter With the Devil**

Midoriko's first few encounters with attacking youkai did not go as well as she would have liked; in fact, they were more embarrassing than anything and illustrated her complete lack of control over her gifted weapon.

The centipede demon had been the first to arrive after her initial lesson with Sesshoumaru. The exterminators had been more than a little reluctant to add a girl who had had no previous formal training to their ranks, and their concerns had been validated only moments into her first joint effort with them. Her arrival had done little but agitate the youkai, enough so that it smashed through two homes in an attempt to reach her and her sword before it was taken down by the more experienced slayers. The incident had prompted an agitated Shijin to request that she return the weapon to Inutaisho-sama, but Midoriko had balked at that, was unprepared to give up so easily.

Even so, the experience had been embarrassing enough for Midoriko to track down Sesshoumaru on her own in order to have another try at mastering the obstinate weapon. She had stalked through the forests near the site where she had first seen him fighting the tiger youkai, all the while clueless as to how a human could possibly find a being like him. Screaming his name had had no effect, nor had her attempts to rile him out to meet her by calling him every horrible obscenity she had ever heard her brother utter. Finally, when she had exhaled her frustration, tossed the sword onto the ground, and seated herself rather defiantly on the grass to wait, he had appeared, striding out from amongst the trees, looking as though she had just barged into his home without knocking.

Her anger and humiliation had been enough to spur her on to fight him with a ferocity that had only amused him at first, infuriating her enough that she was finally able to unleash the sword's power with sufficient force to knock him flat on his back. Her mood had improved considerably from there on. His deteriorated drastically. She had returned to her home that night, bruised and bloody from the retaliation of an ill-tempered demon, and happier than a lark. The next youkai attack would go _much_ differently.

And so it had. Over the next year, Midoriko slowly assumed a place amongst her town's demon slayers, earning their respect and admiration as she worked tirelessly to improve her skills enough to take on whatever threat presented itself. Every time she watched a menacing youkai wither in front of her eyes from a swing of that precious sword, Midoriko could not help but breathe a quiet thank you to Inutaisho-sama.

She had even grown fond of his obnoxious, yet generally tolerable son. Midoriko knew she was still no match for Sesshoumaru and likely never would be, but she had halted their sessions out of concern that she might actually harm him. Even if he was too strong for her to purify at the moment, one day she just might summon enough of that bizarre inner strength to do it, and it made her afraid. After all, hadn't she promised Inutaisho-sama that she would not purify him? That was enough to justify her feelings of unease. And, in any case, Sesshoumaru had far better things to do than to continue as a test subject for a human girl and her magical sword...

* * *

Sunlight cast itself overhead as she knelt in her garden, expertly pulling the rapidly encroaching weeds from around her carefully tended vegetable plants, and she recognized this as some sort of battle of the plant variety. The same concept, protect what was good, destroy what was evil. The comparison faintly amused her, which was probably why Midoriko was late in sensing movement behind her. She whirled around at the feeling, her hand instinctively falling to rest on the hilt of the sword that had been resting next to her in the dirt.

Sesshoumaru stood before her, watching her with his usual inscrutable expression. Midoriko was surprised at how her heartbeat instantly perked up at the sight of him, happy in its instant recognition. Without the training sessions as an excuse, she had not seen the young dog demon in several months and had almost forgotten how noble he always looked, as though he had never known a moment's uncertainty in his entire, long-lived existence.

"Sesshoumaru," she greeted him, a smile crossing her lips as she stood quickly, trying to rub some of the dirt from her hands. "It's good to see you. It's been a while."

His eyebrows rose at that statement. "You humans have such a strangely skewed sense of time," he commented.

"Maybe it's because we don't have lives that span hundreds of years," she replied, still grinning widely at him. Had she missed him so much? She had been too busy to really consider it, but, yes, she supposed she had. He was an arrogant jerk, but there was still something inherently likeable about him. She had long since decided that his bark was worse than his bite..._well, mostly_. "Is there something you wanted to see me about? I don't suppose this is just a social call," she teased.

He made a derisive sound, all imperial and dignified, as though he was deigning to have to be there at all, near this shack of a house and its grubby human occupant. "Hardly. My father asked me to retrieve you. The man responsible for growing the herbs your village requested is at our home and willing to discuss the matter of supplying them to you."

"Inutaisho-sama remembered!" Midoriko exclaimed, clapping her dirty hands together with overt joy. It had been several months since she had first spoken to the youkai lord about her village chief's request and she had worried that perhaps he had forgotten his promise to see to it, his attention being so diverted by the growing problems with the tiger youkai. But, just as he had repeatedly proved, Inutaisho-sama always fulfilled his promises, something his son saw fit to impress.

"Of course he remembered," Sesshoumaru answered. "The western lord's word is always good."

Fully aware of how truly filthy she was, Midoriko hurried over to the swiftly-flowing stream that ran near the back of her house. The flow was higher than normal after the large downpours of rain they had recently received; clear, foaming waters churned around the rocks impatiently, trying to move along the way. She bent to splash water onto her hands and forearms, clearing off the dirt and grime that clung to her skin.

"I don't suppose I have time to bathe, do I?" she asked regretfully as Sesshoumaru moved beside her to study the water. She watched as his face was reflected back from within the depths: narrowed golden eyes that expressed impatience, pointed ears, crescent moon marking, magenta stripes creasing the sides of his face, and so ridiculously serious, as though he expected an enemy to charge him at any moment.

"Does it matter?" he murmured absently. "The only way you'll ever rid yourself of that human stink is to peel the skin off of your body...and even that might not help."

She glared at his rippling reflection, his own eyes roving to watch hers in a similar fashion and she thought she could detect the faint beginnings of a smirk. Gods, she had forgotten how _rude_ he could be.

"Ashrem, the herb supplier, seems to have heard of you, surprisingly enough," he informed her as his attention turned to follow the progress of a moss-covered twig's progress down the stream.

"Really?"

"Yes. You're beginning to attract too much attention with that sword. It's amazing what swatting down a few pathetic youkai can do for one's fame. You had better take care of that blade because if something should happen to it, demons will line up at the chance to destroy you."

Midoriko nodded, recognizing the truth in his words. She had certainly become rather unpopular among much of the youkai population in the area as of late. "I'm very careful with it, don't worry."

"Then _why_ is it lying over there in the dirt, baka?" he asked pointedly, sweeping a clawed hand in the direction of the garden where the weapon had been left behind, forgotten.

Embarrassed to see that she had indeed left it lying around like a common gardening tool, Midoriko replied to Sesshoumaru, trying to sound haughty and confident, "You think I can't defend myself at all without that sword, demon?"

"I _know_ you can't," he sneered disdainfully.

Sitting very still, Midoriko concentrated on a single point in the stream, a well-worn rock that was slowly being eaten away by the water's constant pounding. Silence descended around the girl and the demon as she summoned up her power, seizing onto it with practiced ease. No longer did she need to be angry or afraid to lash out at an enemy; it came to her almost as easily as breath now. But pompous Sesshoumaru did not know that...

…which was why he was taken completely by surprise when a shimmering wave of purple energy swirled into place around Midoriko, expanding instantly to knock him into the frothing waters. He picked himself up with such speed that one would have thought he had been tossed into a vat of boiling lava, water dripping from the ends of his claws, his impeccable clothing, his long, silver-white hair. Looking distinctly undignified, and rather soaked, Sesshoumaru gaped at her with such a mixture of rage and astonishment that she could not help laughing at the thoroughly offended demon.

"I forgot to tell you...," she began, but gave up speaking as she was consumed by a fit of giggles.

* * *

The heavy door was flung roughly open, banging resoundingly against the stone wall behind it with the sound of wood that was dangerously close to splintering. Surprised by the outburst, Inutaisho turned to see a drenched Sesshoumaru enter the house, hauling Midoriko mercilessly behind him as he crossed the threshhold into the house. The young demon shoved her toward his father, releasing his death grip on her arm, eyes blazing.

"Your _guest_, Father," he snarled before storming down the hallway that led to his own room, trailing puddles of water across the wood floors with each infuriated step.

Inutaisho turned wordlessly to regard Midoriko who walked hesitantly forward, looking as though she was trying desperately to bite back a smile. "Gomen nasai," she apologized, bowing slightly toward the demon lord and his guest. "I wouldn't ask him about it. He's rather sensitive...," she warned as seriously as she could manage, gesturing helplessly toward the hallway down which Sesshoumaru had disappeared.

Nodding his understanding of Sesshoumaru's easily-summoned temper, Inutaisho gestured toward the thin, darkly-clothed man beside him and provided the introduction. Ashrem was rather nondescript-looking and obviously human, shaggy dark hair, intelligent black eyes, robes of deep blue pulled together with a black sash. Midoriko's eyes fell to his hands, one of which was encased in a black glove. Almost immediately, she found there was something about him that she didn't like, but couldn't place the unfounded feeling of mistrust as she listened to his voice, smooth and calm, soothing, but there was something...

He took a step toward her, onyx eyes dropping from her face to the sword hanging snugly against her hip. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Midoriko. I have heard of your abilities and felt compelled to meet the girl who was entrusted with so fine a weapon. Lord Inutaisho's trust in you must be great."

"Inutaisho-sama has been very kind to me and to my village," Midoriko diplomatically replied, somehow not wanting to say any more than she had to. _What is this feeling? _she wondered. It was unprovoked and, determined to squash it before the man was able to catch onto it, she plastered a polite smile across her lips. "It is because of him...and your medicine...that my brother and several other villagers are alive today." She cast a grateful look at the youkai lord, who ushered them outside to the railed platform that surrounded the entirety of the vast house. Midoriko had been shocked by the sheer size and scale of the place in comparison to her own home. It sprawled across the forest clearing as though making a statement of its own dominion, meticulously cared for, ancient and comprised of wooden beams and stone construction. At first she had tried to imagine dozens of generations of little youkai pups being raised within its walls and she could not help but wonder how the house, impressive as it was, had survived such an onslaught.

"And your village chief would like to see the herbs grown on your lands?" Ashrem repeated what he had been told by Inutaisho, jarring Midoriko's attention back to him as he folded his arms across the railing, gazing out at the fields and wild forests that encapsulated the compound, blanketing it from the sight and knowledge of anyone who did not already know it was there.

"Yes, sir. It would be far more convenient than having to bother Inutaisho-sama. We would, of course, be willing to pay whatever..."

"Nonsense. I am more than happy to aid your village. The slayers do fine work, protecting the towns around them as they do. It is_ they _who should be rewarded."

Midoriko was surprised by this, for Ashrem had struck her as the type of man who knew how to make a business arrangement to his advantage. She glanced at Inutaisho, who was standing off to the side and looking out over his grounds, allowing his guests to handle the conversation between themselves. She knew, though, that he was listening with that scary, demonic sense of hearing he had, and she wondered what he was thinking...

She turned her attention back to Ashrem again, voicing polite protest at his offer. "That's very kind of you, but I'm certain my village would insist on compensating you for your help." He said nothing to that for several moments and she watched as he absently rubbed his gloved hand, wondering if he covered it because of disfigurement or injury.

"I will leave that matter for your people to decide, Midoriko," he finally replied with measured calm, sounding unconcerned. "It will take me a short amount of time to gather everything, but I shall bring all that you'll need as soon as I am able."

She nodded at that and expressed her gratitude, trying to quell her rising doubts about his character. How much kinder could he be than to offer his help with no strings attached? In any case, he appeared to be a friend of Inutaisho-sama's and that, she decided, would be enough for her to trust him as well.

As Ashrem again struck up a conversation with Inutaisho, Midoriko gazed out at the sinking sun, enjoying the last golden rays of warmth as it began to sink behind the treescape, beautiful to the point of mesmerizing. This place radiated such tranquility that it was wonderful just to watch it fade into twilight. Leaning against one of the wooden beams supporting the roof, listening to a mixture of chirping insects, low male voices, and trickling water from the nearby pond, Midoriko's thoughts circled within her head, comfortably absorbing the serene atmosphere.

Her thoughts fell to Sesshoumaru then, wishing that he was there to see what she was seeing instead of off sulking somewhere inside that house. How proud he must be, to be the heir to such a place as this, as well as all the land that extended for miles and miles beyond what she would ever see in her lifetime. If not ownership in its strictest sense, then possession rooted in ancient history, an old pact between factions of demons, the resulting position brought on by the responsibility that came with being descended from among the strongest of those youkai. He and Inutaisho-sama were renowned, respected, and feared by youkai and human alike, for they had proven themselves entirely capable of annihilating any threat that posed itself to the west. For Inutaisho-sama, protecting his lands extended to even the humans who resided within his boundaries, something that Sesshoumaru claimed to disagree with. Still, Midoriko felt certain that Sesshoumaru, too, would defend the humans in his territory if forced to do so, if for no other reason than to remind an invading force who was boss.

She smiled faintly, hearing his voice, which always rang with such unapologetic confidence and conceit. He was so complicated, so complex, and yet he tried to present himself in the simplest terms possible: cold, ruthless, emotionless Sesshoumaru. Midoriko was certain he had far more depth than that, which would no doubt irritate the hell out of him, but his actions spoke far louder than his supposed indifference. She remembered all of the effort he had put into ensuring that she learned to use the sword correctly, going above and beyond his father's orders. He despised humans, yet the unprovoked death of one at his hands had never reached her ears. Sesshoumaru was indeed vastly different from his father, but Midoriko did not fear for the safety of those around her when he ascended to Inutaisho-sama's position. In fact, it would be comforting to know that everything would fall into his hands.

Surprised at the sudden warm thoughts her mind was expounding about the young demon, Midoriko feared that perhaps she was beginning to like him a little_ too _much. He was exactly what she would never want and yet she could not deny how happy she felt when she would suddenly hear his voice out of nowhere, how proud she always was to show him her new accomplishments. He often claimed that she was an annoying brat, a complete waste of skin, but over the past year, the bite in his tone had slowly dissipated. Midoriko did not fool herself in the least in thinking that he harbored any romantic notions toward her, but she hoped that he at least considered them to be on friendly terms...if grudgingly.

She decided that it would probably be best for her to apologize to him for the earlier dunking in the stream, but before that thought even finished itself, a sudden flash of warning shot through her brain, making her blink in surprise. Her head swiveled automatically toward the south, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Inutaisho-sama was tensed and still, as though deciphering his own senses.

_Tiger youkai_, Midoriko guessed, feeling a rush of movement behind her as Sesshoumaru joined them, dry-clothed once more and all-business as he peered out into the dimming skies.

"How many do you think?" she asked, automatically reaching down to feel for the hilt of her sword. Strange how something she had not wanted in the beginning had become such an instrument of comfort.

"A couple dozen, probably," Inutaisho answered calmly, eyes sliding through the dark to rest on Sesshoumaru's face.

"And they've brought their damned pets," Sesshoumaru added, flexing his claws, and Midoriko decided he looked nearly gleeful, possessed by some restless anticipation.

She looked upward into the distant sky and found that she was just able to make out a group of several _somethings_ rushing across the heavens, headed directly for their position, a wave of orange flames trailing in their wake. "Shouldn't we...call your army or something?" she awkwardly questioned Sesshoumaru.

"We _are_ the army, brat. And what is this 'we'? Stay here and mind your own business," he snapped the order and, without waiting for a reply from her, vaulted the railing right behind Inutaisho. Both demons evaporated into the dark wall of the surrounding forest, clearly intent on meeting the invaders in a place that would not put their home at risk.

Uncertainty over what she should do warred within her for several moments, but then Midoriko's less rational side won out, prompting her to pause long enough to warn a rather bewildered-looking Ashrem. "Perhaps you should stay here. It'll be safer." And then, purposefully defying Sesshoumaru, she set off after her hosts.


	4. Targeted Midoriko

**Chapter 4 - Targeted Midoriko**

She raced almost blindly through the dark woods, following her instincts, one arm slung over her face to lessen the scratching from the tree limbs flying past her. There was no sound from Sesshoumaru or Inutaisho-sama ahead of her, no hint of them at all. The pair had moved like ghosts through these woods, sliding past the trees and bushes soundlessly and without so much as a broken branch. Not that Midoriko would have been able to see such evidence in the growing darkness even if they _had_ left some sort of trail.

It was the ominous fiery light from the approaching tiger youkai that guided her to them. Orange-red flames licked across the blackness overhead, a beacon for her lacking human sight. They began their steady descent, human-like forms astride strange, double-tailed cat youkai whose feet appeared to be the source of the flames.

Heart pounding with nervous anticipation, Midoriko finally shoved past the last of the trees into a small clearing carpeted by wind-flattened grass. Sesshoumaru and his father stood side by side, gazing up at the oncoming enemy, and Midoriko hurried up to them.

"_What_ did I just tell you?" Sesshoumaru asked her, sparing her a withering look.

"Go back to the house, Midoriko," Inutaisho instructed calmly, the admonishment sounding distant as he concentrated on the approach of the invaders. He moved away from them then, his body suddenly going erect, face elongating, eyes-reddening to an eerie burning crimson that prompted Midoriko to take an unconscious step backward. His arms and legs lengthened, claws extended, and he went to all fours, starkly white fur replacing his clothing. Within moments he had transformed into a gigantic, ferocious-looking dog, his canine head extending to the tops of the trees, fangs glinting in the moonlight.

Midoriko watched in complete amazement, having never seen such a thing in her life, but her attention was diverted when she suddenly felt herself being hauled backward toward the woods. With the air of one correcting a wayward child, Sesshoumaru released his hold on her and pointed a claw into her face.

"Stay out of the way. This is a _real_ battle." He glanced over his shoulder at the enemy and amended his statement. "Well, as much of a real battle as those striped bastards are able to supply." He turned back to her, golden eyes cold and serious. "These aren't like the errant little pixies that harass your village, so don't overestimate yourself. And keep out from underfoot; I don't want to have to clean human out from underneath my claws."

Before she could think of a sufficient reply, Sesshoumaru shot toward the tiger youkai, his form changing as he moved, one moment a blurred human-like body and the next a glaringly white dog, approximately half the size of Inutaisho. Fluffy tails swishing in almost comical unison, the two dogs set upon the tiger youkai as soon as they were within swatting distance, batting them out of the air as though they were a swarm of annoying flies. Much of the enemy was sent crashing to the ground, picking themselves up off of their dazed cat companions to draw various weapons.

Midoriko shook her head at their stupidity. It was akin to stabbing a needle into a mountain, utterly pointless and suicidal. Her mental commentary was shoved aside then when she noticed that the half dozen or so tigers that had escaped Sesshoumaru and Inutaisho-sama's flying claws were hurtling in her direction. _To attack the house...? _she wondered absently, but that thought was soon laid to rest when she made eye contact with one of the flying cats; its red eyes were focused intently upon _her._

She recalled then what Inutaisho-sama had told her many months back, about how youkai could sense her abilities and instinctively viewed them as a threat. _Perfect, _she thought sarcastically, drawing her sword. _Well, if things go too badly there's always Tenseiga. _Brushing the hesitation from her mind, she stepped forward to meet her opponents.

Sesshoumaru paused after ripping the head off of one of the tiger demons, sending the body careening away from him before turning to greet another attacker. _This is too easy, even for them, _he thought._ They're fighting like witless beasts. _The normally agile tigers were sluggish and expressionless. It was rather disappointing, this change, for it made fighting them far less satisfying, but if they were so anxious to die, he was more than happy to direct them toward the afterlife.

A low growl from his father prompted Sesshoumaru to look behind him to see a half-dozen tiger youkai flying toward Midoriko. He broke off from his battle, leaving Inutaisho to handle what was left of the grounded youkai and made to chase his new quarry down. He cursed and was forced to roll out of the way suddenly when a bolt of purifying energy lanced past him from the girl's sword, already having sent two of the tigers and their cat counterparts crashing bonelessly to the ground.

Midoriko sensed movement from behind and thrust out one hand toward her attacker, who was quickly repelled by the energy that whirled defensively around her, knocking his cat senseless. He leapt off of the beast and ran toward her, sword upraised, and she stared back at his face, noting how completely dispassionate it was, almost as though the man was sleep-walking. She blocked his first swing, stumbling back several feet from the weight behind it. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the other tigers readying to attack her as well, but before she could even make a move to shield them away from her, a white blur appeared out of nowhere, huge paws knocking them away in quick succession.

_He's like a puppy with a chew toy_, she thought with faint amusement, looking over to see Sesshoumaru busily crushing the life out of the enemy. Midoriko then returned her attention to her opponent, who was rushing at her once more. She fended him off again, thinking that these surely could not be the youkai she had been warned about. They were not much more difficult to kill than the demons she was used to handling back at the village. Something about these tiger youkai rang false and Midoriko was not sure why.

As she swung her sword back to purify him, her gaze rested on his forehead. There was a mark there, a strange blue emblem that looked like a sort of cross, or perhaps a four-pointed star. Her attack met him head on and his face immediately contorted into an anguished expression, a roar of pain tearing from his throat as his demonic aura was destroyed. Midoriko watched as the mark faded from the skin and he fell into death.

The ground shook as a heavy foot stomped next to her and Midoriko turned her head to watch Sesshoumaru phase back to his usual form, appearing obscenely composed for someone who had just spent the last several minutes killing and maiming. Midoriko was trying to catch her breath, adrenaline still shooting through her veins as she looked past him to see Inutaisho-sama also reverting back to his human form, having finished with the last of the invaders.

"They didn't seem particularly fierce," she said quietly, not able to keep herself from goading him a little over the strict warning he had given her.

He frowned, looking down at the remains of the last tiger youkai she had purified. Stripped of its demonic aura, it appeared almost to be the corpse of a human, fragile and lifeless. "There was something different this time. Normally, they are fairly worthy opponents, but this group...," he sniffed, almost as if hoping to scent out the answer to his questions, the smell of blood and death hanging heavily on the air. "They were mindless. I think that if Father and I had been fighting with swords, they would have been happy to simply throw themselves upon the blades. They did not fight back like trained youkai."

Midoriko nodded grimly. "I sensed something strange about them. It was like fighting a shell of a youkai, like they weren't really here." She looked up at him, brown eyes lighting on his intent face. "Do they normally have those markings on their foreheads?"

"Markings?"

"Yes," she affirmed, pointing at her forehead and gesturing the shape of the mark she had noticed. "They all had these strange blue emblems on their foreheads, but they disappeared when I purified them." She walked over to the scattered remains of the youkai Sesshoumaru had killed, kneeling to inspect their faces. "These don't have them, either, so it can't be a side effect of purification, and it just felt...as though they were behaving with a pack mentality, one order, as though someone..."

"You think they were being controlled?" Sesshoumaru stated more than questioned, finishing her thought.

Midoriko nodded, rising back to her feet. "It would explain their odd behavior, why they were so easy to kill. It felt like I was fighting the same person over and over, the movements, the expressions. But it doesn't make any sense. Why would someone go to the trouble of sending them here just to die?"

"Perhaps they were sent as a test," Inutaisho's low voice rumbled from behind as he moved to rejoin them, deftly sheathing his weapon after having finished off the lingering survivors.

"To see what you're capable of?" Midoriko inquired at that, confused.

"Or to see what _you're_ capable of," he returned, eyes falling to the blade at her hip. "I got the distinct feeling that their aim was to reach you, and not because they could sense your abilities. Those demons were civilized enough to be able to restrain themselves from trying to kill someone simply because their instinct tells them they are threatened. If they had come for us, then you would have been ignored unless you chose to involve yourself. The timing of this is very interesting, I will admit."

"Then it appears that their pride leader is interested in what the sword is able to do to youkai. Unfortunately for Tora's curiosity, a messenger wasn't spared," Sesshoumaru stated maliciously, a venomous glint in his eyes. "Those bastards are weary of warring with us over these lands; there's no doubt that they would welcome something to help them. They'll likely try to gain her as a weapon."

"A weapon?" Midoriko repeated incredulously. "Against you and Inutaisho-sama? I would never do such a thing."

Sounding grim, Inutaisho smiled faintly as he replied, "I don't doubt your loyalty, Midoriko, but, if what we've concluded as the reason behind their strange behavior is accurate, then whoever sent them obviously has an unnerving influence over others." He smiled widely at Sesshoumaru then, reaching out to clap his son on the shoulder. "It seems as though we'll have to keep a closer eye on her, eh, Sesshoumaru? And until our enemy shows himself, I'm sure the villagers would welcome an extra hand at planting the rice." He turned and took in the grisly scene around them, looking faintly disapproving as he added, "And I believe it is your turn to see to the clean-up, am I right?"

With that last comment, the elder youkai disappeared once more into the forest, leaving Midoriko behind with a petulant Sesshoumaru.

"He has a strange sense of humor," Sesshoumaru muttered, watching as his father escaped the chore of taking care of the bodies. He then turned to see Midoriko kneeling next to something in the grass. Curious, he joined her, looking down to see a small, yellow-furred, double-tailed cat youkai curled up and senseless. It was obviously injured since it had reverted to its least energy-consuming form, and was lying motionless except for its heaving sides.

"It's hurt," Midoriko said regretfully, sounding unsure of what to do.

"Then let's put it out of its misery, shall we?" Sesshoumaru suggested, reaching out to claw the animal apart. He was taken aback when Midoriko slapped his hand away.

She exhaled a pent-up breath, looking conflicted. "I don't think we should kill it."

"What are you babbling about?" he demanded, a frown creasing his forehead. "This beast will shred you to bits as soon as it heals."

"I think the two of us are sufficient to handle her if it comes to that," Midoriko replied.

"Baka. And you call yourself an exterminator. What will you do if a fox youkai shows up to assault your village," he asked distastefully. "_Cuddle_ it?"

"Quit being obnoxious," she said exasperatedly. "If she becomes vicious when she wakes, then we'll handle her, but I don't want to kill something so...defenseless."

Sesshoumaru gaped in astonishment at the girl as she gently scooped up the kitten-like youkai, cradling it like an infant. "I'll remind you of those words when it gnaws off an arm," he sternly replied before turning to begin the chore of constructing a funeral pyre, already planning for the next battle and the endless trail of bodies _he_ intended to leave behind for his father to see to. _Damn you, Chichi-ue..._

* * *

Ashrem, quite obviously nervous over the youkai attack, was quick to take his leave upon his host's return. Midoriko and Sesshoumaru returned in time to see him bow lowly to Inutaisho and walk down the stairs, pausing to remind Midoriko that he would be paying a visit to her village soon with the herb plantings they had requested, as well as the instructions on how to make the poison antidote.

And just as Sesshoumaru had warned, the cat youkai did indeed react badly when it woke from healing itself. Its red eyes narrowed to slits and its black-tipped tails bristled angrily when it saw Midoriko peering at it from what she supposed was a safe enough distance. Sesshoumaru had stood in the corner of the room, arms folded, leaning lazily against the wall, appearing to suffer from complete disinterest. He had been mostly right, he thought to himself, but apparently the cat was still not strong enough to transform into something that could do more than hiss its irritation.

Midoriko had immediately tried to soothe the wary animal with soft words and a bowl of rabbit meat, but even with those enticements the cat refused to approach her.

"I think you're making her nervous," Midoriko informed Sesshoumaru. "Maybe you should leave. She can probably sense that you want to harm her."

Fed up with the ridiculousness of the situation, Sesshoumaru left the room, pausing only to eye the cat with a warning glance on his way out. Stepping outside of the room and shutting the door behind him, he lingered in the hallway, ears perked up and listening for signs of a struggle. If that fool was so anxious to rescue an obviously hostile youkai, then he'd be _damned_ if he was going to have to clean her bloody remains up off of his floors.

He waited. And waited. No sound emanated from behind the walls, a silence pervading the house so completely that it began to unnerve him. He shifted his position and pressed one pointed ear to the wall. Two heartbeats, two sets of breathing lungs. That was it.

The first wan rays of morning light were spilling over the tree tops outside before Sesshoumaru finally moved, pushing the door back open to look inside. Midoriko was lying on her side on the wood floor, eyes closed in sleep, a vague orange light pouring in from the window to highlight the small ball of yellow fur that was curled up beside her, apparently leeching warmth. A few feet away sat the empty food bowl, cleaned entirely of its contents.

Sesshoumaru blinked at the sight, a bit annoyed at her for having been proved correct in judging that the cat would calm down. The peacefulness of the scene quickly dissolved that feeling, however, and he found himself wondering what it must be like to be _that_ trusting, to sleep that soundly next to a being that was her natural enemy. He could not decide whether she had excellent instincts or was simply unbelievably stupid, but he left the two alone and returned to his own room, completely unaccustomed to this new feeling of grudging affection toward a human.

* * *

When she woke to see the sun pouring in through the window, Midoriko experienced a moment of confusion in which she both wondered where she was and why she was not in her own bed. When her gaze fell on the small cat youkai that was staring at her questioningly, its head cocked to one side, recollections of the night before surfaced in her sleep-numbed brain.

Stretching in an attempt to loosen her stiff muscles, Midoriko smiled down at her little roommate. "See? I was right about you." The cat cocked its head in the other direction and made a chirping sound.

Midoriko rose to her feet, realizing that her brother would likely be worried over her by now, probably certain that Inutaisho-sama and Sesshoumaru had murdered her and fed her mangled body to their winged dragon beast. True to form as a demon exterminator, Shijin did not trust the two youkai she had befriended in the least and warned her repeatedly about them. But it did not matter.

Reaching down to stroke the little cat's head, she told it, "You're free to go do whatever you want, you know. You're no prisoner here." Midoriko then grabbed for her sword, attaching it at her waist before opening the door to walk out into the hallway. She allowed the cat to skitter out behind her and then shut it softly, turning to find Sesshoumaru waiting for her with an empty expression.

"I'll be returning you to your village," he informed her, glancing down at the tiny cat youkai who glared back fully in return. "My father's orders," he added quickly, head rising, as though daring Midoriko to think that concern on his part played into the decision at all.

She smiled warmly at him, nodding. "Of course. Inutaisho-sama must be quite worried that the sword will fall into the hands of someone who means him harm," she said, falling into step with him as they left the house. Outside, a cool wind was blowing rather forcefully, pushing dark gray clouds from the west in their direction. _There will be a storm soon_, she thought absently as they walked across the grass together.

"Father does not need to fear your weapon," Sesshoumaru replied conversationally. "You're not powerful enough to purify him, but he doesn't want to have to harm you in order to keep you from becoming that strong...should you fall under someone else's control."

He turned to look at Midoriko and she was suddenly uncomfortably aware of how near he was to her. Their hands were so close together that she could feel the heat radiating off of him, making her skin tingle. Her heart started to beat oddly. Gods, if he just wouldn't _look_ at her like that! That fleeting bit of anxiety jolted her mind and she felt suddenly stupid, closed her eyes a moment to regather her sanity. He was talking to her about a serious matter and here she was, mind skittering about with foolish thoughts. _I'm such a child_, she berated herself.

"It won't be a problem. I would never use this sword against you...or Inutaisho-sama," she said quickly, repeating her vow from the night before, wondering if he could sense the sudden veil of discomfort that had settled between them.

He didn't reply, instead looking over his shoulder to see that the cat youkai was trailing in Midoriko's wake. "It seems you've accumulated a pet," he informed her wryly.

Midoriko looked behind her and stopped, kneeling to reach a hand out to pet the youkai affectionately. "I told you that you're free to go," she tried again, but the cat responded by biting gently down on Midoriko's thumb, as though communicating its preference. "My village is not exactly a haven for your kind, I'm afraid," she informed the small animal, smiling at its curious expression.

"We'll see how long you can keep your villagers from adding its parts to their horde of youkai weapons materials," Sesshoumaru said, staring down at them.

Fat raindrops began to fall then, haltingly at first as the steady sunshine began to give way to the more insistent storm. The cat youkai suddenly transformed amidst a wave of flames that smoked and sizzled in the rain. It looked pointedly at Midoriko, who got the idea that it was trying to coax her to climb onto its back so that they could speed up their journey.

"Let's get going," Sesshoumaru ordered, eyeing the beast as Midoriko clutched a handful of the fur behind its neck and pulled herself up. "There's nothing worse than the smell of wet human."


	5. Strange Feelings

**Chapter 5 - Strange Feelings**

With repetitive motion, the wide-headed hammer struck the blade, chipping off sparking particles of metal from the sword itself, which glowed a fierce, fiery orange. Toutousai's leathery hand passed quickly over the seething hot metal, unfeeling, skin more than accustomed to such high temperatures. His fingers could still feel the weakness in the blade, even with the sizeable crack having been sealed, and so he continued his work, taking a moment to lift his eyes to the lurking demon lord, who was rummaging about Toutousai's home with open curiosity.

"That doesn't belong to you, my lord," he chided mildly when Inutaisho's hand wrapped around the hilt of another dormant weapon, one that was capped by a lethal-looking serrated blade.

Inutaisho placed it back where he found it and turned to regard the ancient swordmaker, diplomatic smile coming to his face. "Are you afraid of its owner?" he inquired politely.

"No, but if one of you was afraid of the other I wouldn't have to repair your weapons so often," Toutousai respectfully admonished, flipping the weapon in his hand to feel the other side. "Not to say that you are in the wrong, of course. Your brother is the devil."

"I am surprised you always agree to repair them for him," Inutaisho murmured absently in response.

"You ordered me to," Toutousai reminded him, again lifting his eyes from his work. "I simply do as you ask."

"I am his big brother first, and his enemy second, Toutousai. Priorities are important," Inutaisho gallantly explained, appearing faintly humorous for a moment before his expression faded into something less amused. "There are times when I think Sesshoumaru is heading in the same direction. That boy's heart is clenched tight. He still believes that strength comes from tyranny. I can't seem to show him differently. He does not see that I spend much of my time toppling despotic, self-important leaders that feel very similarly to him. Strength rules and weakness obeys, in my son's mind."

Toutousai heard the ring of disappointment in the western lord's voice as his fingers worked to flatten the repaired segment of the sword. "What about that human girl? I know you had hoped her influence---"

"Ah, well there is Midoriko," Inutaisho acknowledged, appearing to brighten a little at that as he walked over to peer down at Toutousai's work. "His feelings toward her _have_ changed, although I do wonder if he is beginning to like her a little too much. He seeks her out on his own now, for his own purposes. No order from me."

"_You_ are worried about a demon boy becoming infatuated with a human girl? You've set quite the example...sir," Toutousai added quickly, dunking the repaired weapon into a vat of cool water, withdrawing it once more, then setting to the task of sharpening it. He noticed that the words set his youkai guest to pacing about the place again.

"I am older, Toutousai, and certainly more experienced," Inutaisho argued. "I set my own boundaries because of that, and I don't suffer from the same hot-headed god complex that Sesshoumaru succumbs to so often."

"Is that so?" Toutousai questioned indulgently, appearing humored as he looked up into his old friend's face, but he appeared to drop that and switched to another line of conversation, "Well, you know, he's not such a child anymore."

"He's less of an adult than he thinks he is," Inutaisho muttered darkly. "And if he _is_ grown, and this is as far as he can go, then I have failed. I'd prefer not to consider that. I think that his heart is basically good. There are times when he does things that are surprisingly kind. And there are times when he does things I find absolutely appalling. I fear that he might be reining in his behavior because he knows I am watching, but I will not always be here to watch him." He paused then, went silent, absorbed in his thoughts...and then blinked as Toutousai's earlier comment came back to him, the one which he had chosen not to expound upon. "You think I have a god complex...?"

"It depends who's worshipping," Toutousai answered wryly. He quickly rubbed the blade down with a cloth until it gleamed with shining perfection, appearing new once more. Then, extending it in wrinkled old hands, Toutousai offered it back to its owner. "Your weapon, my lord. Try to go more than a few weeks before you snap it again."

* * *

As she had expected, Shijin had not been pleased to discover that Midoriko had been followed home by a demon cat of unknown origin. Upon first laying eyes on her, he had forbade the animal from entering the house despite the rainstorm outside, which had ignited a rather heated argument between himself and his sister. He quickly found himself overruled by Midoriko's innate stubbornness, and so the result was that, not only was the cat allowed to come in, it slept at Midoriko's feet in its housecat form and quickly became her ever-present companion. 

The double-tailed cat was an extremely intelligent youkai as well for, though she did not speak, she understood every word that was said around her, which was quickly made obvious by the menacing growls that were heard every time Shijin muttered about exterminating her. Weeks upon weeks of a cold standoff between himself and his home's new occupant eventually dissolved to the point where Shijin found himself offering her bits of his dinner along with her own, a reward for her efforts during demonic conflicts. He was the first to call her Kirara.

The villagers took to Kirara's presence far more easily than did Shijin, a trust that came from Midoriko's unswerving confidence in the cat. Kirara made an extra effort to win over the children by playing with them and carrying them for short trips into the air on her back. Happy, squealing children were enough to put the adults at ease, particularly when Kirara showed an instinct to protect her new village and its inhabitants. Ironically, the exterminators felt better about leaving to aid another town with a youkai left behind to defend their families from a potential retaliatory assault.

Midoriko learned to be especially grateful for Kirara's presence when Shijin married a girl named Lia and moved into the village to help care for his ailing mother-in-law. Midoriko had experienced coaxing and cajoling from both her brother and his new wife, each working to convince her to leave the lonely shack on the outskirts and live with them until she married as well, move into the comforting enclosure of the village itself. She refused repeatedly, for more reasons than she would name aloud, and finally pacified the two by agreeing to visit almost daily.

Fall descended, and with it came a rampant increase in demon attacks throughout the region. Shijin and a dozen of the exterminators were contracted by a town several days north of the village to rid them of a particularly strong and vindictive youkai, who had taken to stealing the young village girls, leaving nothing of them behind except their shredded skins. With her brother gone for at least a week, Midoriko had made an extra effort to help Lia, whose mother was still doing very poorly and needed plenty of care. It was something that Midoriko was happy to do, as she had formed a quick friendship with the young woman. Lia was very sweet and unassuming, and most importantly, was able to handle the constant stress that came from having a husband with so dangerous a job. Midoriko had her own misgivings about this trip the exterminators had taken north, but they had been confident, had asked her to stay behind and protect the others.

She had acquiesced to their wishes, but Midoriko was unable to shake the feeling of unease that crowded the back of her mind. So distracted was she on her way home from a visit to her sister-in-law, that Midoriko was startled by the sudden, low growl that began rumbling from Kirara. The cat's black ears perked straight up and the fur along her back bristled. At first Midoriko took it as a warning of coming danger, became tensed and more alert, but her companion went silent and kept up its pace beside her until they reached the house. Frowning over Kirara's strange behavior, Midoriko entered to find Sesshoumaru standing in the middle of the room, staring at her accusingly, as though she had been wasting his time.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him in greeting, still finding it difficult to read his expressions, even after two years of knowing him. _Or_ trying _to know him_, she corrected. Kirara pattered in after her, pausing to sniff haughtily at Sesshoumaru before settling in a corner to glare fiercely at him. He ignored her entirely, as though she was not sharing space with him, and instead focused in on Midoriko's questioning face as she moved to place her belongings on the floor behind the door.

"Why would it be?" he inquired.

"Well," Midoriko began, smiling vaguely as she waved her hands to encapsulate the room. "I don't normally come home to find you standing in the middle of my house."

Sesshoumaru did not respond, instead watching her as she started to ignite a fire in the pit; brilliant orange-gold sparks attacked the wood, licking hungrily until there was a healthy blaze glowing. It lit the room to a warm honey brown, casting their shadows against the planked walls. Outside, night was coming on quickly and it was promising to be a cold one. Autumn was not putting up much of a fight, quickly being pushed aside by what looked to be an oncoming early winter, the wind outside picking up to a low moan.

"His scent is gone," Sesshoumaru finally commented, watching as she seated herself next to the fire, shrugging out of the worn coat.

She looked up in surprise. "Shijin? Yes, he was married recently to a girl from the village. They live there now...though, at the moment he's off helping another town. He should be back by tomorrow or the day after." She began to poke absent-mindedly at the fire with a bent twig, seized by a sudden morose mood. She was ecstatic for her brother and Lia, but there was still a childish part of her that wished things could have remained as they were for a while longer. It was difficult adjusting to a change that so completely altered the way her life had been for the past four years.

"He left you here?" Sesshoumaru asked in a tone suggesting that she had just confirmed every bad thought he had ever had about her brother.

"No...he did not just_ leave _me here," she replied, craning her head so that she could see his face. "And will you please sit down? I'm going to break my neck staring up at you."

After a moment's hesitation, Sesshoumaru seated himself on the wood floor a few feet away from her. Midoriko was amused at the air of royal dignity he radiated he did so, decided that he could be wallowing in mud and still somehow manage to make it look sophisticated. "Is that why you came?" she asked him curiously, as he studiously settled that intimidating stare on the fire. "Because you thought something had happened to Shijin?"

"Even I am unable to pick up your brother's scent all the way from my home," he replied dismissively, not answering her question.

His eyes reflected the flickering flames, a burning amber, and Midoriko watched, mesmerized. The dim light made him look much younger, almost boyish, and she decided that he was beautiful. A strange word to describe one who was clearly born and bred to be an alpha male, exuding the masculine qualities that belied those perfect features; strength, arrogance, dominance. She could imagine that this man probably had a string of youkai women fixated on his every word and movement, like stalked prey, and the thought amused her so much that she felt a smile begin to tug at her lips.

Sesshoumaru must have felt her stare because he turned to look at her and she immediately dropped her eyes, embarrassed to be caught watching him so intently.

"He wanted me to move with him," she finally made an effort to continue the conversation, casting her attention toward the wall that held his shadow. It was somehow easier to converse with him when she wasn't having to watch him so directly.

"Why didn't you?"

Midoriko exhaled a breath, mulling over some of the many reasons that had made her want to stay in this place instead of joining her new family within the confines of the village. The excuse she had given to Shijin was that she was happy living in the home their parents had built together. Knowing her well, he had promptly accused her of staying there because of Sesshoumaru, which she had hotly denied. But now, part of her admitted that his accusation had held truth. She had been concerned that perhaps Sesshoumaru would feel less comfortable coming into the village to see her and, thus, visit less often. She knew it was stupid of her to think such a thing. If Sesshoumaru had a desire to speak with her, he'd have no problem barging into the village to haul her out for a chat. Still...

She could not give him that reason, so she provided the other she had thought of, the one that seemed more logical. "It's better for me to remain on the outskirts," she said steadily. "Any demons that are drawn specifically to me will come here, instead of rushing in to directly attack the village." There, yes, a very solid excuse.

Sesshoumaru frowned, still appearing unforgiving. "Whatever the reason, your brother has shirked his responsibilities."

Midoriko shook her head, the movement disrupting the shadow on the far wall as she tried to defend her brother. "No, he hasn't. I'm not a child anymore, Sesshoumaru. I turned seventeen last month."

"Seventeen?" he scoffed disdainfully. "You are an infant."

"By demon standards," she agreed, "but by human standards I should be marrying soon, too." Knowing this was so, Midoriko had been forced to look around her at the other men in the village, several of which would make acceptably suitable husbands, but somehow, the prospect of wedding one of them was less than exciting. She had found reasons to pick each of them apart in turn. She had grown up with most of them, viewed them with a sisterly affection or, in turn, knew they were dreadful human beings and was determined to steer clear of anything except a passing familiarity.

"Will you?" came the low question, and he watched as her eyes swerved back toward him.

She was taken aback by his bluntly stated inquiry, blinked at it, as though trying to decide how best to answer. She supposed that if she ever wanted children and a family of her own, she would _have_ to settle in and marry one of the village boys. The idea felt confining, more so as she looked at her seated companion. Would he continue to come see her if she married? Midoriko doubted it. But that begged another question: _why_ was he here now? If he had not noticed Shijin was missing until he had already begun to approach the village, then why had he come? It couldn't be the concern that his father's enemies were possibly targeting her; things had been far too quiet for the past several months for that to have played into his decision.

Suddenly realizing that she had not replied to his question, Midoriko tried to give an answer. "Eventually, perhaps, but there's no one...there's no one available to me at the moment that I would want to spend my life with," she admitted. _Yes. Good, that was honest._

This was particularly so, since the only one who prompted wistful thoughts of anything domestic was distinctly unavailable to her. Imaginings of evenings spent with a certain pointed-eared demon and their half dozen hanyou offspring had broken into her thoughts fairly regularly ever since her brother had married. It was ridiculous to even allow her mind to wander down that road, but it did so of its own accord, taunting her with things that would never, ever happen. Midoriko shrugged it away as a harmless crush. How could a girl be around someone like Sesshoumaru and not be taken with him? Well, that is if they managed to make it past the insults...the rudeness...the open disdain...

"You never told me why you came," she prompted him again. If he was forcing her to answer uncomfortable questions, then she was bound and determined to make him reciprocate.

"Does it matter?" he demanded.

"No."

"Am I bothering you?"

"No, of course not," she answered quickly, because she was certainly glad to have him there.

"Then don't ask pointless questions," he ordered imperiously, settling the matter. Sesshoumaru diverted his eyes from her face and focused them on the far wall. He could not answer specifically because he did not know precisely why he had decided to come...or why he had waited for her return. He realized it was quite unlike him not to have a purpose to support his actions. He did not need to have her under his nose to keep track of whether everything around her was peaceful, but his desire to ensure that it was surprised him. Damned human girl, getting under his skin like that. Why should he care? She was going to die soon. That was a fact. Whether it was tomorrow or at a more naturally advanced age, it mattered not. It would still be soon.

He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she reached over to pat Kirara's paws affectionately, trying to settle the beast, which was still tempermental from his presence. Already he could see the signs of rapid human aging; she had changed much over the past two years, no longer the short, skinny little girl who had so arrogantly plucked his prey right out of his claws, but a young woman who could be considered beautiful even by demon standards. Yet...that was not why he often felt himself drawn to see her. There was something inherently good about her, a soft glow that spoke of a pure spirit. This girl _loved_. Devotedly. Fiercely. It both emanated from her and surrounded her to the point where it was almost visible to the naked eye. He knew without question that she would die to defend her brother, her village, even the damned, worthless housecat. People that loved others so thoroughly and selflessly never lasted long in this world, and it fascinated him, because he did not have that same _thing_ in him, whatever it was.

It also disconcerted him, he realized, watching the girl tenderly stroke the demon cat's fur. It was important to him that she remain as she was, alive, breathing, and sound at the end of each day. He disliked change, and she was normalcy, even as strange as she was. She wore her feelings out in the open for everyone to see, and the foolish girl had no idea that her face betrayed her emotions so easily. Her blatant affection for him was as obvious as glaring sunlight and he had never been on the receiving end of such in his entire life. It both drew and repelled him at the same time, for he had to remind himself that she was and always would be a human.

He had surprised himself by his interest in her future plans. It would be in the girl's best interest to marry and to do so soon. Residing on the outskirts of a village with a youkai cat would be a lonely, pathetic existence. Even knowing this, he could not deny the small twinge of jealousy he encountered at the idea of her turning those feelings of affection in the direction of a human man. She was different from them, would be bored by them.

Frustrated, he put those thoughts away, realizing that he was treading uncomfortably close to the path his father was following. But Inutaisho had already done what he considered to be his duty; he had mated a proper demon woman who had born a full-blood youkai that would eventually take Inutaisho's place and defend the west. Sesshoumaru's sense of honor and family pride demanded that he do the same, and he did not resent that. It was the proper, natural way of things. It was only a shame that his father seemed unable to understand that, Sesshoumaru's existence aside, it was still improper and humiliating for him to carry on with human women as he so often did. But as he watched Midoriko, his father's cryptic words about the difference between human and youkai came back, crept into his thoughts unbidden.

_"Sesshoumaru...one burns brightly for an instant and then is gone, a flash of warmth, and then darkness. The other is eternal perfection, strong and beautiful, a fire that burns slowly, craving fuel to feed it yet purposefully starving itself."_

Sesshoumaru blinked out of that memory as Midoriko turned away from Kirara and smiled at him, oblivious to the thoughts circling in his mind. "Ashrem came for another visit last week. He seems to like it here," she said conversationally.

"He comes often, does he?" Sesshoumaru asked distantly.

"Fairly often. I think he's lonely. He lives alone, you know; ever since the priest that raised him died."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed slightly with suspicion. "Perhaps his intention is to make a more permanent move to this place."

"Hmm?" she questioned, then understood, eyeing the young demon carefully. _Is he jealous...? _"He's not interested in me, if that's what you're thinking. The villagers like him and appreciate what he's done for us. Who wouldn't like to be around that?"

Sesshoumaru mentally conceded that point, as it was part of the reason he was sitting beside her. It was pleasant to be held in such high regard, to arrive at a place where people were glad to see you.

"He's never even hinted that he might see me in a romantic light," Midoriko added.

"You are naive," Sesshoumaru dismissed her assurances.

"You're paranoid," she countered, frowning in obvious confusion. "What's this about? I would think you'd be glad if I _did_ marry Ashrem. He is your father's friend, is he not?"

"Not precisely. My father was on friendly terms with Ashrem's guardian, the old priest." He looked pointedly at Midoriko then, and voiced the suspicions he had already relayed to his father. "There is something about Ashrem that bothers me."

Midoriko recalled her own feelings of mistrust when she had first met the man, feeling cold as Sesshoumaru mentioned his lack of faith in Ashrem's motives. Yet Ashrem had never done anything to her or the villagers that could be considered less than kind. He had refused any form of payment for the horse-drawn cart he had brought them many months back, which had been piled with various plants, seeds, and containers of strange herbs and powders. He had patiently explained their uses, doses, and how to grow them properly, and had had no other interaction with the village beyond his occasional visits to check on the outcome of his efforts.

Before she could explain that to Sesshoumaru, he tilted his head toward the ceiling as if listening for something, a deep frown etched into his brow. "Someone is approaching this house...very quickly."

That sense of foreboding that had trailed after her for most of the day returned, and Midoriko quickly rose and slipped on her sandals. She walked outside, immediately chilled by the crisp wind that whipped around her, peering into the darkness with only the aid of blinding white moonlight. A chirp at her feet let her know that Kirara had followed her and she, too, was hearing what Sesshoumaru had picked up on, something that was beyond Midoriko's own ears. But her heart was beginning to pound, and her stomach turned sickly. It was late and dark and cold...no one would come to her this late to bring good news...

Sesshoumaru walked outside behind her, his senses picking up the scent of a human whose emotions were quite clearly...riled, anxious. He glanced at Midoriko's apprehensive profile, feeling certain that she was not going to enjoy this unanticipated visit. He turned to stare out into the darkness once more as the steady clipping of horse hooves soon became quite audible even by human standards, and she was quick to identify the man that came hurtling out of the black wall of night astride a chocolate-brown mare.

"Taro!" Midoriko called, thin arms folded over her chilled body, stepping back as the middle-aged man pulled up on the beast's reins abruptly, halting it, the hooves pounding restlessly into the grass, as though it resented being stopped from its invigorating run. "Is something wrong?"

"The exterminators have returned, Midoriko," he said breathlessly, his face red from exertion and the cold, and Sesshoumaru watched as his eyes passed warily to him before returning to the girl, expression falling into something pained and sympathetic.

Sesshoumaru knew what the man was going to say even before he heard the words. The scent of death was being carried on the wind from the direction of the village, and he felt a sudden urge to pull Midoriko away from the man before it was said. Such an abrupt change, everything completely altered for her, and again his father's description of quick-burning flashes being extinguished came to mind. _This is what you admire in them, Father? That ability to gratefully live each day despite these events..._

"Shijin was killed," Taro stammered, horrified eyes locked onto her face. "Forgive me. It grieves me to tell you, but he was lost..."

"What?" Midoriko asked, shaking her head slightly as though certain her ears were functioning improperly. Her mind went utterly blank except for a steady thumping that filled her ears, drowning out the howling wind, and for a moment she thought it sounded as though everything was screaming.

"He died, Midoriko."

She swallowed against the lump that had wedged itself in her throat, feeling as though she was about to choke. The man's words chanted themselves over and over as she tried to process what had just been said to her. Taro rambled on, hands flailing expressively, as though she needed a description of events. A mixture of confusion and horror overwhelmed her as she recalled that she had last seen Shijin just a week earlier, strong, happy, and healthy. He didn't belong among the dead; the thought of his body being stuffed into a hole in the ground to deteriorate made her feel violently ill. And that was when some desperate hope seized her, as she remembered her looming friend...and that healing sword...

Midoriko turned painfully dry eyes to Sesshoumaru, who was watching her with a pensive expression. "Tenseiga," she said shakily, the word coming out as something between a request and a demand. He did not argue with her as she expected he might; simply nodded tersely and left, a blur of white that was consumed by the darkness.

* * *

Sesshoumaru had always been insulted by his father's insistence on leaving Tenseiga behind with him whenever the youkai lord went to resolve an issue elsewhere in his dominion. In Sesshoumaru's mind it left the impression that Inutaisho thought him less than capable of taking care of himself, so it had been a subtle rebellion to accept the sword but refuse to wear it. The blade had a mind of its own. Sesshoumaru had witnessed this when, during a battle a few decades earlier, he had been abruptly pulled away from the fight, the sword calling on its strange magical properties to transport him far out of reach just as his opponent's blade had swept in, slicing into the skin of his throat, beginning the process of decapitating him. There had been that instantaneous flash of light and Sesshoumaru had materialized elsewhere. Almost immediately he had tossed the sword away and raced back to the fight, furious and humiliated. He had won. 

Now, though, hurtling back into the exterminators' village with the sword in hand, Sesshoumaru was feeling far more charitable toward the weapon and its abilities. Never before had he revived the dead with it, but he had witnessed Inutaisho do so on several occasions. Even to a hardened demon, it was miraculous to watch breath and color return to a corpse, restoring the life as though death had never occurred. Sesshoumaru was _certain_ that he could force it to work.

It was easy to locate the house in which the body was being kept, both by the smell it was giving off and the trail of Midoriko's scent. He pushed his way none-too-gently through the small assemblage of people outside the front door, barely registering the muttering that immediately ensued over the arrival of a youkai. He rudely slammed the door in their faces and turned to find Kirara looming in her larger form. Pointing at the door with an obvious intent for her to ensure that bystanders were kept out, he ducked down a low-ceilinged hallway that led to the bedrooms, his sensitive nose nearly overwhelmed by the scent of decay that grew as he approached the second doorway.

Midoriko was standing just inside the room, back pressed against the wall, hands clutched together. She was sickly-pale, hollow, dark eyes locked on her brother's remains, which had been laid out on the bed, a dim light casting a ghastly glow across the room. Registering his arrival, she turned that vacant stare on him, utterly devoid of the cheerful playfulness that he had come to expect. Sesshoumaru was again grateful for the sword in his hand, knowing that all of this could be corrected with a simple swing. It was an empowering feeling, to have such control over the destination of a soul.

A wispy, dark-haired girl was sobbing quietly next to the body, one hand clutching at the bedding. Midoriko moved stiffly forward to pull her out of the way as Sesshoumaru extended Tenseiga over Shijin's corpse. The man was barely recognizable from both the state of the body and the wounds that had been inflicted; whatever had gotten a hold of him had been rather angry and unrelenting. It would be a difficult image for Midoriko to forget and he found that something in him felt sorry for her.

Sesshoumaru waited for the soul-bearers to be revealed, the tiny creatures that came to take the souls of the dead away to the afterlife. Moments passed, stretched, became unchanging. Nothing happened. He blinked in surprise, but then a thought occurred to him and he felt the stirrings of dismay. The exterminators had been away when this happened, though how far he did not know.

"How long has he been dead?" he asked quietly.

"Three days. The town is...three days away," Midoriko whispered in a voice that was nearly unrecognizable, laden with uncertain grief.

Sesshoumaru nodded and lowered Tenseiga, replacing it in its sheath. Midoriko watched him warily, eyes becoming dark and accusing. "What are you doing?"

"He can't be saved. His soul is gone."

"What?" she asked harshly, stepping away from where she had been standing with the other nameless human woman. He eyed her dispassionately as she moved to stand in front of him, an eerie, desperate look in her eyes, and he decided that her mind preferred to believe that he was unwilling more than incapable, so he tried to explain again.

"The soul-bearers have already retrieved his soul. There's nothing there to return to the body. It's too late."

"No," she responded forcefully, her face darkening from crushing sadness to a flashing anger, brown eyes lit with a resentful fury. She pointed once more toward her brother's body, finger shaking as she issued the demand. "Revive him. You can do it. Try it again."

"It's not going to work," he argued, but the girl's hand reached out and grasped Tenseiga's hilt, pulling it from the sheath with a swift movement, the blade appearing dull in the low illumination. He allowed her to take it, said nothing as she stood, clutching it like her savior. Then, recklessly, she flipped the weapon, grasping the blade end as she extended the hilt toward him. It cut into her hand, a wound that almost instantly healed itself, renewing the skin. "Please," she spoke the brittle word.

He accepted the offered sword, something in him responding to that plea. He extended it once more, resentfully eyeing the uncooperative corpse as he waited for Tenseiga to awaken. There was nothing, as he knew there would not be, but he still felt angry that the one time he actually wished to use it, it was proving to be useless. Hadn't that been how he had always referred to it? A _useless _sword? It remained cold in his hand, as dead as the man lying on the bed. He slashed at the empty air over the body, just as he had witnessed his father do, but, as expected, nothing happened.

A rush of movement prompted him to turn and watch as Midoriko left the room. Silently, he resheathed that wretched sword and abandoned the room to Shijin's widow, pacing in Midoriko's wake until he found her near the front door, Kirara gazing mournfully up at her as the girl's fingers lightly reached out to scratch the cat's left ear. She looked stiff and cold, as though on the verge of being provoked into a shatter by so much as a wayward word. He supposed that he was the last thing that should be near her at a time like this. His heart was not overly given to sympathy and compassion, and he found himself facing the situation with a blank mind, uncertain if he should say something or not, stay or leave. That heavy silence stretched on for an eternity before she finally turned to face him, eyes eerily bright.

"What's wrong with it?" she asked in a choked voice. "Why can't it pull the soul out from wherever it is?"

"Because his soul has already moved on. Tenseiga's abilities are not limitless," he explained calmly.

"I should have gone with him," she said then, regretfully shaking her head, haunted by a decision she could not take back. "If Kirara had come with me, we would have been able to get you and bring you back in time..."

"It's pointless to think in those terms. Don't dwell on such things." Her posture loosened then, stiffness melting away, and he watched as her eyes pooled with tears. Certainly, he was the _worst_ to have around in such a situation, and so he fumbled for something suitable to say. Sesshoumaru had experienced very little personal loss. His mother had died when he had been very young, a child, too young to really know the full impact of her death. "I _am_ sorry," he finally told her honestly.

It was true that he had an intense dislike for humans, but this was something he wished he could repair; not for the villagers, or the crying widow, or even Shijin, who Sesshoumaru had always regarded as an inconsequential waste of air and space. They could all cease to exist and he would feel nothing, but _this_ girl, he thought, watching the heart-broken Midoriko, was someone whose loss he would one day regret. It was for her that he had wanted to bring Shijin back to the living.

"Thank you," she finally said in a shuddering voice, wiping at her eyes with the backs of her hands. "For trying to save him. I know you don't even like him."

Sesshoumaru was once more stricken with the lack of an instinctual reply. The entire scene was surreal to him, standing inside the house of a dead human, surrounded by dozens upon dozens of the man's fellow villagers, feeling dismayed by the tears of a human girl. His life had certainly become encumbered by an odd _gray_ area. He knew better; this was unnatural, but he liked her despite what she was, probably because she liked _him_ despite what _he_ was. It was confounding, and became only more so when the girl moved toward him, wrapped her arms around him, encircling his chest in a clingy embrace. He was surprised by the absence of a desire to pull away, something that would have been an instantaneous reaction not so long ago. His own hands lifted uncertainly, rested awkwardly on her shoulders, and he supposed, inept as he was in times such as these, he had done all he could.

* * *

**-sigh- Okay, that was a depressing chapter to write, but it had to be done. Things are gonna have to take a darker turn if everything's going to wind up where it's supposed to be. Those of you who have seen the episode about Midoriko know why that is. ;) I'm not sure if this is moving too fast or too slow. I'm a horrible critic of my own stuff, but it has to go at a fairly decent pace because this story has to span 200 years. Jeez, and Sesshoumaru could be violently out of character for all I know. He's tough to write as he is, but he's far younger in the beginning of this story and so I thought I'd make him a little more volatile and rude, something more like our dear Inuyasha. ;) He obviously outgrows most of that…except for the rudeness. The guy is definitely that.**

**Anyone looking for lemony stuff, you are in the wrong story! I wanted to go ahead and warn everyone early on. There will be romantic situations and things but….none of the heated stuff, if you know what I mean. I just can't write that. Those of you that do write it, feel free to have at it, but I just cannot. ;)**

**Much thanks to the reviewers. I appreciate it!**

_**Kylian:** Thanks! I'm not too worried about the lack of reviews since it's only been up for about a week. I was just curious as to why the story and my name wasn't showing up in the search engines. I was thinking, "How on earth can people possibly read a story that has no way to be found?" But your review stuck me up on the search engine so…thank you! J_

_**LastGapingBreath: **Thanks, darlin'! Here's an update! ;)_

_**Silver Magiccraft: **I hope it stays interesting…and I also hope I don't annihilate any of the characters, especially since I'll be moving on a couple hundred years within the next few chapters and I'll need to try to keep Inuyasha and all the others accurate. We'll see how it goes. Yell at me if I do something too heinous so I can rewrite it real quick. ;)_

_**Silver Spell: **Thank you very much! Well, there's one vote in the direction of a Rin/Sessh ending. Personally, that's what I'm going for. It's not an issue of age difference that makes me question it because, honestly, who on the show doesn't share an enormous age gap with Sesshoumaru? Kagome and Sango are about 8-10 years older than Rin…which makes them all about equal in comparison to Sesshy. My contention is the whole, "Yes, I'm raising you as my daughter, but, oh, look! You're 18 now and suddenly I'm thinking differently…" Eeek. That's rough. ;)_


	6. Revelations

**Chapter 6 - Revelations**

The loss of her brother threw Midoriko's already rather chaotic existence into even more of a tailspin. Her immediate response had been to return to the village that had been the site of his death, quickly disposing of the remaining youkai in the area with the cold, purposeful precision of a hunter. The clearing of the youkai population was met with resounding enthusiasm and gratitude by the local humans, who regarded Midoriko with open adoration. The same could not be said for the stronger demons in the area, who watched Midoriko's actions with growing restlessness and resentment. Thus far they had not deigned to lower their attention to a weak human girl and her magical sword, but when she turned from defender to purposeful exterminator, they began to take note.

With his father and Myouga situated at the southwestern border for what looked to be a long, drawn-out conflict with the tiger youkai, Sesshoumaru was left to prowl the lands closer to home, watchful and waiting for the inevitable trouble-making that always began during the western lord's absences. It was at this time that he first heard of Midoriko's vengeful rampage in that northern town, shrill complaints reaching his ears about her methodical hunt. He had not been pleased, but had not tried to stop her. He supposed that if Inutaisho had been around, the youkai lord would have gone north to retrieve her, likely taking back the sword in the process, since she had disobeyed his explicit orders to defend, not to hunt. Unarguably, Midoriko had exceeded defense.

To Sesshoumaru's relief, however, her exploits in the north ended almost as quickly as they began, due mostly to the fact that there was simply nothing left around that village to purify. All of the youkai that had made their homes in the forests surrounding the village had been either decimated by her or had retreated to avoid such a fate.

The mutterings and veiled threats against her were quick to reach Sesshoumaru's ears and he found himself unwillingly placed in an unprecedented predicament: his loyalties were being questioned, he could sense it, even if no one was brave enough to say it in his presence. The youkai around him wondered as to what his response would be if they attempted to destroy the girl. Would he look the other way? Or would he defend her? What was most infuriating to Sesshoumaru was that he knew what his instinct would be, and it bothered him.

As he was walking through the snowy woods that skirted the far edges of her village, Sesshoumaru found himself quietly considering the situation. He supposed he had given the girl too much leeway. For her own good he would have to go put some fear into her; she was becoming too confident with that weapon, and with every offensive action she took, the youkai around her viewed her as more of a threat. But Sesshoumaru knew he could not take back her sword; that would be the same as throwing her into a den of ravenous lions. No doubt there were youkai out there who were waiting for him to take just such an action, and they would waste no time in killing her. Not for the first time, Sesshoumaru cursed his father and his interference in the lives of humans.

As he walked, mulling over his thoughts, Sesshoumaru continued to take note of that lingering presence and found himself absently wondering why Rouyakan was trying to be very quiet as he approached his position. He could soundly guess that it was not because of an intention to attack. The forest guardian was rather cowardly, a big oafish youkai who kept the lesser demons in line, but also one who seemed unable to do much in the presence of the dog youkai except stutter and stick his face in the dirt. Sesshoumaru listened to Rouyakan's pathetic attempts at masking his presence, but his heavy breathing alone would have been enough to wake him out of sleep. Guessing that his visitor was gathering his courage, Sesshoumaru decided to put him out of his misery.

"What do you want, Rouyakan?" Sesshoumaru inquired, turning to face the white-frosted clump of trees and overgrowth that shadowed the being's large form from sight. There was a slight rustle of leaves, and then the youkai stumbled out from his hiding place, practically tripping over himself to bow before Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru-dono, forgive my intrusion. I am certain you are far too busy to speak with this Rouyakan ---"

"Nevertheless," Sesshoumaru broke in wearily, "you're here. Say it so that I can be on my way."

Rouyakan picked his head up from the ground, his enormous eyes practically overtaking his already overlarge head. _He is ridiculous_, Sesshoumaru decided. Why Inutaisho had put someone so unsuitable in charge of the forests was beyond Sesshoumaru's ability to comprehend. But then, his father had an eccentric tendency for collecting "pets", whether they be human or youkai, and Rouyakan fell securely into that category. Sesshoumaru could not understand the reasoning behind purposefully surrounding one's self with lesser beings, but no longer bothered to confront his father on the subject.

"Sesshoumaru-dono," Rouyakan began formally, "please know that I would never question your decisions or those of your great and noble father. It is not for me to judge the actions of the venerable Inutaisho-sama, however there are those in my forests who are...concerned about certain matters ---"

"Rouyakan, you have one more breath to expel any information you intend to give me," Sesshoumaru warned in an attempt to head off the beast's ceaseless prattling.

Looking pained, Rouyakan said in a great rush, "There is concern over the human girl, the demon exterminator. The youkai in my forests are growing...agitated. You've...heard of her actions in the north?"

"Yes," Sesshoumaru answered, looking displeased as he eyed the massive creature.

"She has caused many problems for us, Sesshoumaru-dono. Several of the youkai that were forced to flee from the north have settled in my forests. There have been many battles over territory and..."

"It is your job to settle those. Do what my father instructed you to do," Sesshoumaru replied irritably. He was growing weary of the whining and moaning from the demon population around him. Diplomacy was something better handled by Inutaisho, who was excessively patient, almost to a fault in Sesshoumaru's estimation. Sesshoumaru was practically desperate to trade places with his father. He had built up a _lot_ of frustration in the past several months; there was no doubt he would be able to dispose of the tiger youkai matter in an afternoon if his father would quit attempting to _coddle_ him by forcing him to stay close to home.

"But, Sesshoumaru-dono, it has gone beyond that. There is much talk of retaliating against the girl. It is out of deference to you that they have not struck against her yet, but it is only a matter of time until they do. You must understand that the tales told by the northern youkai have increased fear of her. There are many that wish to destroy her before she gains even greater strength."

Eyes shutting in exasperation, Sesshoumaru found that he was having to restrain himself from throttling the idiot youkai. "Have you _seen_ this girl of whom you speak, Rouyakan?" he asked in an even tone, opening his eyes to find the tiresome beast gaping back at him.

The forest guardian blinked his huge eyes, then admitted, "No, Sesshoumaru-dono. But I have heard stories that chill the blood in my veins."

Sesshoumaru held a hand up to the middle of his chest and fixed Rouyakan with a cold stare. "She's about this tall, she usually wears a purple, flowery kimono, she has a ridiculous sense of humor, and she likes children and animals. If your fear of her is so great, pick her some flowers and go make friends," he suggested, each word dripping with open disdain. He turned and walked away from Rouyakan, his feet sinking slightly in the snow, but his visitor hurried after him.

"But, Sesshoumaru-dono..."

"The fright that you speak of in relation to the human girl is demeaning coming from a youkai. Gather the shreds of dignity that remain to you and tell your forest dwellers to do the same. Order them to leave the village alone. That will solve the matter without further complicating things. My father is rather fond of the girl and if I were you, I would not draw his return by acting out against her." Sesshoumaru's tone became more menacing then as he added, "He becomes rather perturbed when his attention is diverted from important matters because of childish squabbles."

"Of...of course, Sesshoumaru-dono," Rouyakan agreed immediately, bowing once more. "I will do as you say."

"Good. And Rouyakan?"

"Yes, my lord?"

"Go away."

* * *

Sesshoumaru was not the only one to pick up on the growing tension between the youkai and Midoriko. From his monastery-like home, Ashrem, too, listened and gleaned information from those around him, human and youkai alike. He had always been one to listen, to keep his own thoughts within his mind instead of expelling them everywhere like a fool. And it was with great satisfaction that he welcomed the news of Midoriko's deteriorating protection. He knew that it was the prominent involvement of the dog lord that was still keeping most of the stronger youkai at bay; Inutaisho's name was respected, but not even he would be able to prevent the demons from taking what they would believe to be protective measures against the girl.

Despite his friendly "alliance" with Inutaisho, Ashrem was anxious for the entire situation to reach its boiling point. Never in his life had he witnessed so perfect an opportunity for the extinction of youkai, those abominations born with abilities that gave them a god-like sense of superiority. They viewed humans as insects, beings that should be crushed. He knew this from experience.

Ashrem was amused over the fact that a demon, one of the greatest youkai living, had created the means to his own destruction, and that of his race. The fact that he and his son had befriended young Midoriko made it all the more to Ashrem's advantage, for now he would be able to manipulate a weapon that would actually be of use, unlike the pathetic tiger youkai. Tora, the tigers' leader, had been quick to enter an alliance when Ashrem had approached him, but that had disintegrated rapidly when Ashrem had ordered the tiger demons to test Midoriko's strength. Tora had been enraged, believing that Ashrem had sent his people to their deaths, but Ashrem had convinced him, and truthfully so, that it had simply been a matter of control. Never had he attempted to manipulate so large a group before, and it had been an unmitigated disaster. They were formidable opponents, those tiger youkai, but under Ashrem's control, they had lost the ability to follow their own will and Ashrem had learned that controlling an army was difficult, if not impossible, particularly if he meant to destroy as powerful an opponent as Inutaisho. And that, of course, would have to be done if he was to see to the extermination of the rest of the youkai in the western lands.

Now, though, Ashrem had been gifted with a perfect weapon, a single girl with strange abilities that likely rivaled his own, who wielded a weapon that sucked the soul right out of a demon's body and sent it into oblivion, destroyed the very aura that granted them their powers. Through manipulation of Midoriko, he could maintain his distance and safety, while sending the girl out to do his bidding. If she was destroyed in the process, then so be it, but it would be wise to send her on the offensive now that she had riled up the youkai population against her. Ashrem had doubts as to whether she was strong enough to kill Inutaisho, or even his son, but if he waited too much longer, the interfering dog demon was likely to demand the sword's return. Ashrem had to act before that could happen.

And so...he planned.

* * *

She really did make a desperate attempt to resume her life once she returned to her village. Midoriko continued her treks into the village nearly every day, keeping up with the villagers, visiting Lia, gratefully watching as Lia's mother's health gradually began to improve. At night, Midoriko would return to the home she had once shared with all of her family, but now that only she remained, it seemed unbearably empty. Maintaining the familiar schedule she had kept during the week of Shijin's absence had been comforting because it allowed her the illusion that he simply had not returned yet. The contact with her brother's widow and mother-in-law also helped ease some of the loneliness, but performing as simple a task as bringing in some of the firewood that Shijin had felled for her before his death brought on thoughts and memories that were still difficult enough that she preferred to keep them shoved aside.

Kirara was a comfort, but Midoriko, anxious to avoid more deaths, had taken to asking the cat to assist the exterminators with their missions. She had confined herself to her own home when she was not visiting Lia or one of the other villagers, though it was difficult to keep herself from running off to make short work of an attacking youkai. Midoriko knew that she had overstepped her bounds with her actions in the north, and was probably becoming more of a target for the local youkai, who were certain to be hard-pressed to allow a human to remain unscathed after such a blatant offensive. Midoriko knew she had disobeyed Inutaisho-sama by destroying all of those youkai, but she had been so angry, so distressed at not being able to do anything about the situation that she had reacted rashly and probably put the youkai lord in a compromising position.

Midoriko expected to turn around at any moment and find Sesshoumaru there to demand the return of the sword, and so she had decided to lie low and stay away from any youkai battles until the frenzy died down. The sword lay as it had for weeks, sheathed and untouched in her bedroom. Midoriko often found herself fighting the urge to grab it and run off to aid the exterminators, but the image of a disapproving Inutaisho-sama and an annoyed Sesshoumaru held her back.

Thoughts of the younger demon served only to reinforce her loneliness. She had not seen him since the night of Shijin's death, but wondered if perhaps his absence had spoken loud and clear. He had not stopped her from exterminating all those youkai. He had done nothing, despite many previous warnings about reclaiming the sword if she stepped out of line. It made Midoriko wonder if perhaps he approved of her retaliation and, considering his own tendency toward hostility, Midoriko was not sure whether to be reassured or appalled by that.

The urge to go find him had been the hardest of all to repress. She could no longer deny her attachment to Sesshoumaru, which had only grown with Shijin gone. Midoriko found herself thinking about him more and more. The lack of his presence now caused a physical ache, which Midoriko tried to simply explain as a desire for some sort of familiarity with the life she had had when Shijin had been alive. But, when she was honest with herself, she felt certain that it was more accurate to say that when Shijin had been alive, there had been more to distract Midoriko from her growing feelings. Now, alone and with little to occupy her time except grief, all Midoriko could do was shake her head in amazement at how strange her life had become: a human girl in sudden possession of strange abilities, given the power to kill youkai by a youkai, transformed into a demon slayer only to fall in love with a demon. It was completely insane.

And it was circular thoughts like these that made her suddenly eye her sword with a sense of desperation, practically praying for a demon to come barging through her front door just so she would have something to do.

During one particularly unbearable evening, Midoriko was forced to restrain herself from repetitiously pacing the length of her home, unable to do so outside because of the cold winds and the pristine snow that blanketed the ground. With Kirara off helping the exterminators and unlikely to return until morning, Midoriko found herself roaming aimlessly, straightening things, making tea that she promptly forgot to drink, poking at the fire with a stick. So concentrated was she on her boredom that she nearly jumped out of her skin when a knock sounded at the door.

Surprising herself at the speed with which she rushed to pull the door open, Midoriko realized that she had been half expecting to find Sesshoumaru on the other side. Instead, Ashrem stood at the threshold, his robes covered in a thin layer of ice that he brushed off as she opened the door wider to usher him in.

"Ashrem, you shouldn't have traveled in this weather. It looks as though it will only get worse," she fretted, casting a pensive glance out at the thick gray cloud-cover. It was definitely going to be a frigid night and Midoriko suddenly regretted sending Kirara off to help the demon exterminators. The fire that flickered cheerfully behind her gave off more heat than the cat's furred body, but it was decidedly less cuddly.

"Don't worry about me. You would be surprised at how strong my constitution is. I'll make it back home safely," Ashrem responded to her concern, smiling politely, but then his expression turned serious. "I came because I heard of your brother's death. I wanted to offer my help. If there is anything that you need..."

"No, there's nothing," Midoriko answered quickly. She thought how odd it was that even now, weeks later, her mind still registered a moment of shock whenever someone would mention Shijin's death. It was quite difficult for her to grasp the idea of never seeing him again. There had been a similar adjustment after the death of her parents, but, somehow, Shijin's demise had hit her harder. Perhaps because it had been so unexpected? There had been no goodbyes...

She then realized that she had gone very quiet, lost in her own mental ramblings, and looked up to see Ashrem watching her intently. "Forgive me," she apologized, "I've been very...distracted lately."

"Understandable," he nodded, following her lead as she knelt on the floor next to the fire, rubbing her hands briefly to fend off the chill his entrance had let into the small house. Mind scrambling to recall her manners, Midoriko reached for a pot and set about making tea for her visitor, who loomed quietly behind her.

Ashrem watched the swift movements of her hands, finally breaking the silence that had fallen between them. "I came as soon as I heard of his death. News travels very slowly, it seems. I happened to travel through the village where it occurred and heard the story, as well as of your rather impressive extermination of the youkai residing near the village. The people were very relieved and grateful to you."

Midoriko felt a familiar flash of guilt at his words, stomach twisting as Inutaisho-sama's face came to mind once more. "I overstepped my bounds, retaliating as I did. I promised Inutaisho-sama that I would not seek out youkai with an intent to destroy them, only to defend if they should attack first. He's probably furious with me," she whispered morosely, turning worried eyes on the darkly-clothed man.

"Ahh, Midoriko," Ashrem said comfortingly, moving to sit cross-legged on the floor, wavy black hair feathering back to dryness from the effects of the fire. "Your response to the situation was not extraordinary, considering the circumstances. You have done a service for those villagers. They will not have to worry about allowing their children to roam and play, at least, not until the youkai that were scared away decide to return." He frowned then, as though a thought had just occurred to him. "In fact, when they do return, you might find yourself wishing you had done a more thorough job. No doubt they will want revenge against the villagers for their losses."

A sick lump lodged itself in Midoriko's stomach, and she realized that she had not even considered that. Of course the youkai would return and extract vengeance, just as she had, and likely in the same manner, without thought or consideration as to who the actual offender had been. Her mind whirled with thoughts and worries and images of a slaughtered village. And what would Inutaisho-sama be able to do about it? The youkai would simply point at her own actions and say that they were defending themselves, that it had been justified.

"Ashrem, I think I made an enormous mistake," Midoriko said in a hushed voice, expression horrified. And there was no way to repair it, nothing to be done now. All she could do was wait for it, and try to be there when it happened.

"Nonsense," he dismissed her concerns with a wave of his hand. "Simply finish what you started and you will have no regrets."

She blinked in surprise and her head rose to his face. His dark eyes glittered back at her in the firelight, unreadable, masked. "What are you saying?" she asked slowly, the suspicion she always felt in his presence creeping into the back of her mind.

"I'm saying that you should continue hunting down the youkai in this region. You're clearly strong enough. You would be a hero to your fellow humans."

Slowly shaking her head, as though trying to filter the exact meaning of his words, Midoriko eyed him and made an attempt at clarification, "You're telling me that I should simply track them all down and wipe them out."

"Precisely."

"Every last one of them?" she asked again, feeling cold, waiting for him to explain that it was not actually what he meant.

"Unless they flee these lands and never return, then yes," Ashrem agreed, his tone practically devoid of inflection. Midoriko watched as he pulled the glove off of his hand, exposing the pale skin to the glow of firelight. He massaged it absently as he watched the fire, appearing completely unruffled by the turn in conversation.

"Inutaisho-sama would never allow such a thing..."

"Then he will have to be dealt with as well," Ashrem conceded, sight locking on her with an eerie, black-eyed gaze, as though willing her to agree with him.

Midoriko unconsciously moved out of arm's reach, a silent alarm going off inside of her head. "I would never attack Inutaisho-sama or..."

"Sesshoumaru?" Ashrem finished thoughtfully, eyebrows upraised as he watched her. "Yes, I know of your affections for him, but they are misplaced, I assure you. If you think for one moment that he or his father would not kill you at their whim, you are very mistaken, my dear Midoriko. It is a matter of fact that youkai view us as a species to be stomped out of existence. You've become a bit of a pet for the western lord, but have no illusions about him. He could be planning your demise as we speak. After all, you have raised many questions as to his loyalty and that of his son."

Midoriko rose to her feet then and moved away from him, her heart beating fiercely, mind reeling. _He's telling me to lash out against them, to murder Inutaisho-sama...and Sesshoumaru... _"Is this how you repay their friendship?" she finally asked Ashrem, voice frigid with dislike, her head rising defiantly, eyes sparking with anger as he got to his feet as well.

"There can be no true friendship between demons and humans. Alliances, yes, but it ends there," he explained indifferently. "Midoriko, you must realize that you have been gifted with something that could help your people immeasurably. You must decide where your loyalty lies."

"_Loyalty_?" she repeated incredulously. "_Friendship_? Do you realize, Ashrem, that normally I share my home with a youkai cat who would claw you to bits if she viewed you as a threat to me? Were you aware that it was Sesshoumaru, another _youkai_, who attempted to save my brother's life?"

Ashrem's frown deepened, as though disapproving of her argument. "Their loyalties are clear to them. Do you think you will find them fighting alongside you if you did decide to destroy their fellow demons? Of course not. They are both aware that humans are their natural enemies, just as they are ours."

A furious silence shrieked throughout the small house at that, and he watched as Midoriko's face turned away from him, a shaking finger rising to point at the door. "Get out of my house, Ashrem. I don't know what I ever said or did to give the impression that I would involve myself in such a thing, but you were mistaken. If you're so intent on wiping out all of the youkai, then go find your own way to do it."

Ashrem exhaled his frustration, still appearing to be quite relaxed despite the obvious ill will coming off of his host in waves. "Foolish girl," he said almost fondly. "I have been searching for a way to end the reign of the youkai in the west, unsuccessfully might I add, ever since my parents and village were slaughtered. You seem to think of Inutaisho as some great, benevolent lord, an equal defender of all the beings in his dominion. But, I ask you, where was he when that demon set upon my village?" he inquired, the tone hardening some with the question. "His concern is his own kind, Midoriko, not ours."

"Get _out_," she repeated more forcefully, crossing the room with swift steps to open the scarred wooden door. Outside, night had fallen and there was an eerie silence pervading the area, the cold air sliding over her skin as though attempting to cool her anger.

Ashrem made a hesitant move toward the door and then stopped once more, disturbingly close as he regarded her patiently. "If it is fear that holds you back, I can help you destroy him. Once Inutaisho and his son are gone, we can make short work of the rest. You can safely retire that sword of yours, marry, have a family. Your children and grandchildren will not have to fear demon attacks. You'll never have to watch your fellow exterminators return with another body." He grasped the door with a grip so tight, his knuckles whitened. "Midoriko, you are blessed with special abilities, as am I. Sadly, mine are not particularly suitable for destroying the dog demons. Believe me, I've tried. But you...with you, I _know_ I can do it. I thought perhaps the tiger youkai would prove suitable, but under my control they became useless. It would take a large number of powerful youkai to bring down Inutaisho, something that is beyond my abilities to manipulate. But I believe you and your weapon under my influence would be enough."

"The tiger youkai," Midoriko softly repeated, experiencing a moment of clarity as she looked up into Ashrem's face and recalled the attack that had been waged at Inutaisho's home months earlier. _Ashrem was there that night..._her mind flashed with sick understanding and, immediately, she turned and shot toward her bedroom, prepared to get her sword, to get _any_ weapon she could find, but she was quickly tackled from behind. Her face connected with the floor in an impact that caused her vision to spark, and breath was forced from her lungs under Ashrem's crushing weight, pinned with an almost inhuman strength.

She felt the brush of his hair against her cheek as he spoke next to her ear. "Midoriko, I had hoped to convince you without resorting to violence. Forgive me for this, but one day you will thank me."

She tried again to roll out from underneath him, but his knee came up to wedge solidly into her back. A hand entered her line of sight and she felt his fingers press against her forehead, an oddly gentle caress, but almost immediately, a squeezing sensation seized her head, a pressure built behind her eyes, and bright lights began to spark against her vision. There was some roaring crescendo, excruciating, reverberating inside of her skull until she felt the vibrations in her teeth, her jaw, her shoulders. And, just as suddenly, it stopped, and Midoriko was left on the floor, gasping for air, blinking away the haziness that hung over her vision.

Ashrem rose calmly to his feet and moved out of sight. At that, Midoriko's muddled brain tried to force her appendages to move, but she felt as though she had been welded into the floor. When he reappeared before her he was holding her oil lamp, face coolly aloof. Without explanation, he passed one hand over her leaden body and, immediately, the numbness began to lift.

"Sesshoumaru will be suspicious about that mark. We saw it on the tiger youkai," Midoriko breathed, trying to pick herself up off the floor but still feeling as though her arms and legs did not entirely belong to her. Even her voice sounded thick and sluggish to her own ears. "He'll know what it means."

"He won't see it, my dear, at least, not until I intend for him to. In fact, he won't even know I was here." Ashrem flicked the oil lamp away from him, allowing it to break open and spill its contents, inciting a small blaze that grew exponentially when the oil began to meld with Midoriko's cooking fire. "How will he ever pick up on my scent amidst the smoldering ruins of your house?"

"And you think I won't _tell _him?" Midoriko replied viciously, not recognizing her own voice. Ashrem responded to that threat by increasing the pressure inside of her head once more, forcing her back to the wooden floor without even having to touch her, and she felt like some unwilling puppet, strings being pulled beyond her control.

There was movement once more, and she sensed that he was kneeling beside her, a hand coming to rest on the back of her head in what appeared to be a comforting gesture as he promised, "I won't let you."

* * *

If he didn't know better, he would _swear_ he was being watched. Inutaisho's ability to locate Sesshoumaru was uncanny, the younger dog demon decided. Even wandering as he had been for the past several days, Sesshoumaru suddenly found himself glancing up into the sky, a full moon shining down at him, exposing a crow that swooped languidly down to perch in a tree limb above his head. Immediately the bird set about pecking away at the string that bound a note to its leg. Sesshoumaru reached out a hand to grab it as it fell and the crow resumed its flight, heading back in the direction from which it had come.

Unrolling the scrolled note, Sesshoumaru recognized his father's sharply-inked characters, along with the tiny ink-stained footprints of Myouga, who had doubtlessly been harassing Inutaisho with speech even while he had been writing. The flea's hero worship for the youkai lord bordered on obnoxious, Sesshoumaru thought, as he read the words.

-

_Sesshoumaru,_

_We are progressing into the southern lands with relative ease now that Furu has joined us with his people. The eastern lord finally decided that this was his business as well and arrived a few days ago, so it should proceed far more quickly. It seems the cat youkai from the Hyounekozoku tribe have thrown their lot in with Tora and his group. That ought to make matters more interesting._

_From the sudden urgency in their attacks, I am presuming that we are closing in on the tigers' main tribe. I am anxious to discuss these attacks and border disputes with Tora, though I doubt he will leave the meeting with his head still attached to his shoulders. We shall see._

_I have recently heard some rather disturbing news of events in the north. See to it that these matters are resolved satisfactorily and with a minimal amount of bloodshed. Do not allow her to do this again. I am certain I do not need to explain the ramifications._

_Be careful. Something strange is going on, but you have, as always, my unwavering confidence. _

_Father_

_- _

Sesshoumaru crumpled the letter in the palm of his hand, using his poison claws to dissolve it. Apparently his father had been granting audiences to youkai that had gone to the trouble of traveling that far south to complain, since Sesshoumaru had made it painfully clear that _he_ did not give a damn. Inutaisho wasn't one to give in to pressure, but Sesshoumaru could not help but wonder what his father's decision would be, concerning the sword, if the situation continued to escalate.

The snow began to resume its fall, growing heavier, white flakes pouring down to rest on his face and in his hair. He blinked them away irritably. It was then that his sense of smell began registering the faint smells of smoke and burning wood. At first he dismissed it as some pathetic human's attempt at keeping himself warm in such unforgiving weather, but the chilly breeze picked up and blew from the east and the acrid scent of smoke grew stronger. Suspicious and unable to deny the feeling of wrongness at the back of his mind, Sesshoumaru began to follow the trail of smoke, picking up speed as he drew closer to Midoriko's village.

The inside of her house was nearly engulfed by the time he arrived, but Sesshoumaru was spared entering the collapsing building when he noticed a human-sized form sprawled face-up in the snow not far from the front door. Quickly crossing the distance, he knelt next to Midoriko, blending in with the snowy drifts that surrounded them. The steady thump of a sleep-slowed heart told him she was alive, but he frowned as his sight picked up the subtle signs of bruising on her face, and something inside his mind told him that this was not the result of some wayward cooking fire having gone awry.

Suspicious, Sesshoumaru's head lifted and he eyed the dark landscape around them, everything lit to an eerie burnt orange from the inferno; but there was no sign of anyone else's presence or even that someone else had been there at all. There was no scent trail; his nose was too overwhelmed by the smoke that continued to pour out of the ruined house, stinging his eyes. Not even footprints remained, so relentless was the snowfall.

Practically growling his frustration, he reached out to grab onto her shoulder, trying to shake her awake, but the girl was completely unresponsive. _This was not caused by a youkai_, Sesshoumaru decided, as he released his hold on her and turned to inspect the scene once more. If demons had come for their revenge, he would have found pieces of Midoriko lying haphazardly in the snow, not an intact body and a blazing house.

His ears perked up then, recognizing the sounds of several rapidly-approaching humans. Doubtlessly, Midoriko's villagers were hurrying over to try to help her, and he realized then how the situation might look to them when they arrived: a demon hovering over Midoriko's lifeless body outside the inferno that had been her house. They would likely try to attack him and Sesshoumaru was not in a mood to play with the exterminators.

Annoyed that he would have to wait for his answers, Sesshoumaru pulled Midoriko up into his arms, her body lolling bonelessly over one shoulder, and evaporated back into the night.

* * *

**All right. Finally I got this chapter to come out somewhere near where I wanted it. I may alter it slightly again, depending on whether or not it starts to bother me too much. ;) It took me 4 days to write this thing. I hate it when you know where you're trying to go, but the words just will not come to you.**

**And to the Reviewers:**

_**Silver Magiccraft:** Thanks very much! I am struggling with keeping young Sesshy in character while trying to move their "relationship" along. He's not a particularly emotional guy, though I'm sure you've noticed. ;) And his relationship with his Dad is coming out of thin air, too. I've always imagined that Inutaisho would be more laid back…and obviously more liberal than Sesshoumaru. ;) Appreciate the kind words!_

_**BadgerWolf:** Glad to have you intrigued:D I'm worried that this chapter is kinda boring, but there had to be some explanations and things somewhere. The next few chapters ought to be more exciting. I think I like Rin both ways; his mate, his kid, it's all adorable. It's just a matter of how it's handled… Thanks for the review!_

_**New Fan: **Thanks much for reviewing and for the e-mail! That's always fun to get. Sorry this is a day late, but I forgot it was Labor Day yesterday. I had plans and things to do. Glad to hear that it's coming off as original. I hope it stays that way!_


	7. Possessed

**Chapter Seven - Possessed**

_Midoriko seated herself at the long dinner table, smiling as Kirara came to curl up on the floor beside her. Directly across from her, far on the other end, ignoring the heaping plates of food set before them, sat Shijin and her parents, appearing to be deep in some sort of discussion. A faint glow encapsulated them, unearthly, giving them a ghostly palor, and she found her eyes roving, searching out the source of the light. Strangely, her end of the room appeared to be dim, cast into shadow, and the entire place was unfamiliar, cavernous, with rustic-looking brass lamps giving off a smoky light along the paneled walls. The screens that led to the two exits on either side of the room were closed, but shadowed forms appeared to lurk behind them, moving restlessly back and forth, and Midoriko automatically rose to let the visitors in._

_As soon as she got to her feet, her father's strong voice rang out, echoing inside the mostly empty room with a command. "Midoriko, don't let them in."_

_She stopped obediently, one hand stretched out toward the screens, having been prepared to slide them back. Frowning in confusion, she glanced back at her father. "Why not, Father? We can't just leave them standing outside."_

_"They don't belong in here, dear. Surely we've taught you better than that," her mother reprimanded, but the words were gently spoken and she smiled as she gestured toward the place at the table that Midoriko had vacated. "Please, sit back down. We see so little of you anymore."_

_Something deep in her mind tried to prompt her with precisely why that was, but she squashed that tiny voice and did as her mother asked of her. However, when she sat down again, her family resumed their low conversation, excluding her entirely. She strained to hear what they were speaking about, but the distance was too great for her to do much more than try to read lips, and a strange, crushing loneliness began to gnaw at her insides. She didn't want this separation..._

_Midoriko stood again, intending to walk to the other end of the table to join them, but Shijin stopped her with a shake of his head, hand rising to point an accusing finger. "Let the dog out first, Midoriko."_

_Uncertain as to what he was talking about, she turned to look behind her and found that Kirara had left the room. A large white dog was seated where the cat had been and was gazing placidly at her through feral, reddened eyes; eyes that appeared sullen and dark, glowing with malcontent. "The dog?" she repeated, not understanding where the animal had come from._

_"You can't leave him cooped up like that, Midoriko. He's wild. Honestly, I don't know what you were thinking when you brought him home," Shijin scolded her in an amused, indulgent tone._

_"Take him outside. You can't tame him," her father warned, and her mother nodded in steadfast agreement._

_"But I don't want to," she whispered, conflicted as to what to do. The dog watched her with an expression of challenging curiosity, almost as if wondering what her choice of action would be._

_"You can't have it both ways, Midoriko," a silky voice said then, and she glanced to her left to find Ashrem standing beside her, robes billowing around him. His sudden appearance immediately elicited a deep growl from the dog. "Make your decision."_

_Before she could reply, Midoriko watched as the dog's starkly white fur bristled, standing stiffly on end, lips pulling back in a snarl of rage, fangs snapping viciously as his body extended and grew. Within moments his head was practically touching the tall ceiling, and he poised himself as though to attack. Midoriko stepped back in alarm, caught off guard by the dog's swift movements as he leapt toward her family, one giant clawed paw sweeping back to strike at them._

_"You should stop him, Midoriko," Ashrem suggested calmly, a spectator. "I warned you, didn't I?"_

_Spurred on by those words, Midoriko rushed toward the attacking canine, jumping up onto the glossy wooden table to grab a hold of as much fur as her hands could catch. She pulled back with all of her strength, trying to haul the dog away from her brother and parents, all of whom appeared frozen to their chairs, faces stricken by shock and fear._

_The dog gave a rumbling, angry bark, whirling around to clamp down on one of her arms with sharp, deadly fangs, and Midoriko closed her eyes, preparing to feel the limb being ripped from her body..._

-

"_Stop it_, Midoriko!"

Her eyes opened instantly at the loud, insistent voice, and she found her vision filled with Sesshoumaru's angry face, a space of mere inches between them. She inhaled a deep, surprised breath at finding him staring back at her with such intensity and in such close proximity, mind reeling in confusion. _Wasn't I just at dinner...? _

"Snap out of it!" Sesshoumaru growled at her in an annoyed tone. She noticed then that his hand was clasped around her fist, attempting to disentangle her grip from the stranglehold she had on his long hair. Instantly, she released him and he sat back on his heels in the snow, a deep frown marring his features, gold eyes glittering strangely in the moonlight as he watched her.

Feeling addled, she rose to a sitting position, cold, packed snow against her palms, looking around to find herself surrounded by the dark, hovering shadows of trees, limbs hanging low from weighted branches. _Why am I here...? _She struggled to remember the chain of events that could possibly have led to her being alone in a forest with Sesshoumaru, but all that came to mind were images of her waiting impatiently for Kirara's return. And then strange images began circling round and round in her head, passing so quickly that she could not place or identify them. A feeling of panic lodged in her stomach and her fingernails dug through the frost. They were_ important_…

"Who was it?" Sesshoumaru demanded, his face so cold and dark it looked like it had been carved completely out of stone.

"Who was what?" she asked, staring up at him stupidly, not understanding. "And why am I here?"

"I brought you here. I was returning with you to my home when you started pulling and scratching at me like a rabid animal," he informed her haughtily, tone suggesting that she owed him a massive apology.

She shook her head, as though hoping to loosen the web of confusion over her mind. A cold ache prompted her to glance down at her bare feet. _No shoes…? _"Why were you bringing me to your home?"

"I wanted you to identify the person that set fire to your home and left you lying in a snowdrift. You were hardly in a fit state to answer those questions when I found you," he said grimly.

"My _house_ was on fire?" she exclaimed, exhibiting an anxious explosion of energy by shoving herself to her feet. "Do the villagers know I'm all right?"

"They'll know when they don't find a body," Sesshoumaru replied steadily, sounding completely unconcerned.

Horrified at the carelessness of that, Midoriko turned to go back to her village, thoughts filled with Lia's face and the worry that would come from the discovery that her house had been destroyed. She attracted enough problems to that town without them having to dig through a gutted shack searching for a body that was not there, fearing that she was no longer alive to stave off those demon reprisals. Though she was intent on rectifying the situation, she only succeeded in venturing forward a few steps before she was grasped by one elbow and hauled backward in a graceless stumble.

"Let _go_ of me! I have to let them know!" she snapped venomously at Sesshoumaru, jerking at her arm, but the demon was obviously in an equally foul mood and tightened his grip on her. "Sesshoumaru! _Let go_!" _Oh, if this is a battle of wills, I'm not going to let this arrogant jerk win... _Something within her gleefully urged her to fight back, a dark anger that seized hold of her and made her intensify her attempts to pull away.

Completely unmoved by her struggle with him, Sesshoumaru decided that there was something not right about her. Beyond the anxiety written on her face, there was something else, a viciousness in her that was uncharacteristic and surprising. Her muscles were tensed as though she was preparing for a fight, heart beating so quickly and fiercely that his hearing was easily able to pick up on the manic thrum. She was overtly distressed and angry, quite unlike the calm girl he was accustomed to dealing with. Perhaps the bruising on her face signified a deeper injury than he had expected? It was not for him to understand the physiology of the human body. _Weak humans_, he silently accused, but could not dismiss the feeling of unease he got as he watched that righteous fury gather in her eyes.

His thoughts nearly allowed her to catch him off guard; she reached up to rake at him with her fingernails, but with the swiftness of a striking serpent, he grabbed the offending hand before it could reach his face, clutching it within his own palm as he pulled her roughly closer. "_Quit struggling_!" he roared at her, becoming frustrated in his own right. "Baka...your village is _that _way!" he exclaimed, turning to jerk his head in another direction. "What is _wrong_ with you!" he demanded, giving her a good shake, as though trying to loosen whatever was causing her to act in such a manner.

Midoriko locked onto those piercing golden eyes that were now boring into hers and, as suddenly as the strange desire to flee had come over her, it left, making her feel like a puppet that had had its strings cut. There was a sudden rise in weakness, and her arms dropped as she made an attempt to seat herself once more on the ground, expression calming. Sensing the fight draining out of her, Sesshoumaru released his hold on her arms, kneeling next to her as she tried to catch her breath. Adrenaline and her frantic pulse combined to form a steady pounding inside of her skull, and still she found she was struggling to regain her bearings. _What is _wrong _with me...?_

She gathered enough clarity of thought to be astonished at her own behavior and finally uttered a soft apology to Sesshoumaru, "I am sorry. I don't know what….," she tried to explain but trailed off as her mind shifted, attempting now to calmly consider what he had told her; that he had found her outside her house, lying in the snow, her home burning. The sudden image of that little house sitting in a smoking pile of ashes made her blink back tears. Everything she owned had been in there, things that had belonged to her parents, everything they had worked to provide for their children. There had even been a few things that Shijin had left behind…

_The sword! _This thought was accompanied by another flurry of panic as her hand flew to the hilt that rested at her side, and she cast another uncertain look at her companion.

"How odd that you would think to arm yourself before fleeing a house fire," Sesshoumaru commented wryly. He knew with great certainty that Midoriko's attacker had not been a demon. A youkai would not have wasted its time in setting her house on fire and then neglect to kill her, and he was sure that if a youkai had been involved, there would have been a scattering of demon remains about the property. The girl was nothing if not efficient and there was no way she would have allowed her sword to remain sheathed against a demon opponent. But what human could she have offended so much? Enough so that they would do something so spiteful as to leave her alone and without shelter in the middle of winter?

"You remember nothing?" he questioned.

She blinked and shook her head, folding her arms together against the cold. "I was waiting for Kirara..." And then a new fear presented itself to her, as she realized that Kirara was nowhere to be seen.. "She wasn't...?"

"No, she was not there," he quickly interrupted, feeling a surge of dislike for the youkai cat. Where had she been? The outcome of this night would likely have been different if Kirara had been present.

"It...must have been an accident," Midoriko tried to explain the night's events, but a quick glance at Sesshoumaru's expression told her he was not buying that story.

The wind picked up around the seated human girl and the kneeling demon, felling icicles from the tree limbs above their heads, sending them down in a frozen, shiny sprinkle. The snow, too, began to fall once more and Midoriko realized how cold she was, surprised that she had not really noticed before. Large flakes of white swirled in and around them, coating an already saturated ground, and she silently flexed cold-stiffened fingers as her mind continued to hover over the events of this strange night.

Sesshoumaru must have picked up on her discomfort because he suddenly rose gracefully, seeming completely unaffected by the frigid weather. He extended a hand to her, an invitation, and pulled her back to her feet. Midoriko's attention was caught by the perfectly tapered claws, the long fingers, the stripes on his wrists. She found herself not wanting to let go and did not even have the presence of mind to be embarrassed with herself for clinging to his hand, tingling from the warmth that emanated from his pale skin.

"We're not far from my home," he told her in his unerringly certain voice, pulling her along now as he set off through the overgrowth, wending his way between the trees until Midoriko knew she would have had difficulty finding her way back out. He appeared to be certain of his direction, however, and that was good enough for her. She tightened her grip on his hand and trailed after him.

* * *

As dawn began its morning stretch across the snowy lands of the west, Sesshoumaru caught sight of a distant speck in the gray sky, its form slowly gaining shape and color as it flew. He stepped out onto the railed landing, watching with interest as Kirara sped toward his home. _So the pet is searching for her mistress_, he thought. He had been curious as to why Midoriko's ever-present companion had been absent when he had arrived to find her house in blazes. Another question as yet unanswered, since the girl had promptly collapsed into sleep as soon as she had been provided an appropriately soft surface.

Kirara skidded into a landing on the frosty ground, the flames that flared out from her legs melting the snow around her into a large pool of chilly water. She then leapt up onto the deck beside Sesshoumaru, who immediately moved to block her entrance into the house. The cat settled her usual glower on him, which he returned just as fiercely.

"I suppose you saw what remains of her house? Perhaps next time you'll remember this before you leave her alone."

Kirara growled lowly and moved to slink around him, but he pulled her backward by the scruff of her neck, fingers embedding into soft fur with an unforgiving hold. The cat bared her fangs at him in warning, but his grip did not lessen. His eyes narrowed in cold challenge, voice malicious as he whispered to her, "Don't forget who is master in this home. You are here at my whim and I have not forgotten what it was that brought you here to begin with. So long as you defend her, you are not my enemy. Leave her again and your status changes."

With that warning, he released her and allowed Kirara to follow him inside, leading the massive animal down a long hallway to the center of the house, where the guest rooms were located. Kirara reduced herself to her housecat form, shoving past Sesshoumaru to bound into the room where Midoriko was sleeping. With a fluid movement, she leapt up onto the bed, sniffing anxiously at her friend before settling in beside her. There was some movement then as a slow arm moved to tuck itself around the cat, followed by a groggy, mumbled welcome.

Sesshoumaru left them, pacing again to the back of the house. He required only a fraction of the sleep a human needed, but had dismissed the idea of leaving Midoriko to rest while he continued his preferred routine of wandering. He doubted that any assailant would be brave enough to try to track the girl down at the home of a youkai lord, but one could not always predict stupidity. Clearly whoever it had been was cowardly enough to wait until even the demon cat had left Midoriko's side, seizing that opportunity to attack for whatever reason.

Frowning in thought as he exited the main house, he did not notice that the sun had forced away the deep clouds that had shrouded it for the past several days, beaming weak rays of light down on the snow-covered landscape. His feet glided over the icy surface, barely leaving a footprint to mark his passage, ears attuned to his surroundings.

Being a suspicious being by nature, Sesshoumaru stayed near the house. His expression reflected his easily-summoned cool composure, but he found it difficult to repress the frustration that roiled within him. It spurred him toward a desire for action, but there was no retaliation to be had...at least not for the moment. _Retaliation? _he wondered for a moment at the word that had come to mind. It had not been _he_ who had been attacked, but he was surprised to realize that that was indeed what he would name it.

With a subtle shake of his head, Sesshoumaru mentally conceded that though he was far more civilized than the slobbering canines that ran rampantly throughout the human villages, he maintained many of their instincts, one being the pack mentality that forged a desire to defend those that fell under his protection. Even Myouga had benefited from this base instinct, for though Sesshoumaru found the flea to be unbearably irritating, he had still protected Myouga from death on several occasions. It was a matter of possession, of dominance, and a demon _never_ allowed an enemy to take or destroy something that belonged to him, even if it was an annoying little flea that Sesshoumaru would have taken great pleasure in flicking off into the deepest chasm he could find.

Inutaisho had pulled Midoriko into their lives and had encouraged close interaction between his son and the human girl. Naturally, Sesshoumaru would come to consider her as part of their "pack". She was his father's ally, and so allowing harm to come to her would reflect badly on Inutaisho, a weakness. This sounded entirely reasonable, he thought to himself, but then his expression darkened. Had that been his father's intent? To try to get Sesshoumaru to develop a fondness for a human that would allow for a dismissal of what Sesshoumaru had always considered Inutaisho's bad behavior?

Strangely enough, Sesshoumaru knew that his father would not be pleased if a relationship with Midoriko progressed beyond that of friendship. Even a youkai lord as liberal as Inutaisho would demand a demon heir to his lands for the simple reason that a hanyou would have too much difficulty in ensuring security…and would make an attractive target for their many enemies. Not that Sesshoumaru would ever succumb to such a humiliation, certainly...

Claws twitching absently at this strange line of thought, Sesshoumaru glared at the trees that loomed ahead of him. He did not love her, nor would he ever. The very idea was abhorrent, he thought, but recognized that the usual rise of righteous agreement did not come to him as swiftly as it had in the past. Whatever direction his feelings took, the fact remained that it was he who controlled his actions and he would _never_ submit to something that would bring embarrassment to himself, his father, and their family.

Still, there was something about Midoriko that had caused her to become important to him over the many months since he had first met her. It was not a realization he was terribly pleased about, but the fact remained. And then there was the question he found himself answering with a surety that made him feel certain that Fate, or whatever force it was that held their existences within its sphere of control, was having a laugh at his expense. Would he have pursued something beyond friendship with her if she had been born a youkai? Most likely. Fate was indeed a strange mistress.

Indications of movement from within the house prompted him to look over his shoulder as Midoriko wandered outside. She had cocooned herself in a heavy blanket and her attempt at making her way down the stairs with the bundle of cloth trailing behind her on the ground was nothing short of comical.

Midoriko slowed her approach, head angling suspiciously at him as she witnessed a faint, humored smile cross his lips. "You're smiling," she accused.

"It _has_ happened before."

"What's so funny?" she asked him, smiling tentatively back. _He looks so much nicer when he does that_, she thought warmly. _Not nearly so fierce._

He gestured toward her feet. "You're not wearing any shoes, baka."

"Oh," she said, glancing downward and looking slightly embarrassed. "It seems that last night I managed to remember my sword, but forgot those..."

"You look ridiculous."

"I have limited options now that the rest of my belongings are a pile of ash," she reminded him, pulling the blanket even tighter around her slender frame in an attempt to project an air of dignity.

"I'll find something for you," he assured her, face morphing back to the usual dispassionate indifference. "Go back inside."

"Is something wrong?" she asked him, ignoring the order. He had appeared to be very deep in thought when she had been watching him from the window, and that was what had motivated her to come outside in the cold when her true desire was to be as close to a fire as she could get. Her interest in him surpassed comfort, it seemed.

His eyes swerved in her direction again, and she recognized his obvious unhappiness. "Not if you can tell me what went on last night," he prompted.

Midoriko's face fell into a frown and she slowly shook her head, dark hair ruffling in the frigid breeze that blew around them. "I think I would have remembered if someone had come to torch my house, Sesshoumaru," she offered reasonably. "The fire must have gotten out of control while I was asleep. It's happened before in the village..."

Sesshoumaru listened to those words, thinking that not even Midoriko seemed to fully believe her own rationale. "Have you seen your face? Your explanation does not suggest how that could have happened." His eyes thoughtfully grazed the marred skin, which had darkened overnight, from cheek to forehead, suggesting impact. He then decided to bring his suspicions into the open. "Do you have human enemies? Or perhaps your brother...?"

"No," she answered quickly, tone rising some as Shijin was brought into the conversation. "None that I know of. Shijin was friendly with everyone in the village, and if I have offended someone, I don't know who or how," she said, shifting her feet slightly. They were starting to ache from the cold. "In any case, I need to go back. There are people who will be very worried," she insisted, watching with surprise as he reacted to that with open challenge.

"You are not going to return to that village until I allow it," he said in the voice of one who is accustomed to those around him doing precisely as ordered, and immediately the girl's body stiffened rebelliously.

"Don't tell me where and when I can go," she countered.

"I just did."

"Sesshoumaru, I can't stay here forever. Why is it that I can't...?"

The frustration that had been building up in him since the night before suddenly burst forth and Sesshoumaru found himself speaking angrily, taking her aback as words lashed out in reply. "You can't return because I have no idea what is going on! Sending you back to the village puts the matter back on the terms of your attacker. As long as you are with me, you are safe, so accept that and be grateful! Don't complicate things any more than they already are by returning to your village before I have a better idea of an identity and a motive."

Midoriko gaped at him, brown eyes wide with surprise at this vehement explosion. "You're overreacting..."

"I never overreact."

"Sesshoumaru..."

"You'll also find that I'm not one who tends to change my mind."

"Then I'm just to stay here indefinitely?" she questioned the stubborn demon, but then, something in her latched onto that idea, a part of her that was more than willing to be forced into close quarters with him for a short amount of time. The idea of getting to know him better was a pleasant one, even as moody as he so often tended to be. _But this is all so uneccessary_, she sighed internally. _And it would be better if it was simply an invitation, not an ultimatum expressed out of frustration. _

"Until I am satisfied that the assailant's head is safely staked on a pole, you'll remain here," he answered her question. "Return to the house. You'll be completely worthless if you catch some ridiculous illness from standing outside without proper clothing."

He turned and began walking back toward the house, and she watched him for a moment before hurrying in his wake, early morning sunlight glaring brightly off of the white ground. Eyes fixated on the back of his head, her thoughts began to roam, passing over his motivations, and she smiled then as the old Japanese proverb came to mind. Teasingly, she called out, "You know, it's true what they say about a dog's loyalty..."

This stopped him in his tracks and he whirled, forbidding glare already in place as she grinned widely back at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Haven't you heard the old saying? 'Feed a dog for three days and he will give you three years of loyalty'."

"That does not apply in this case," he replied stiffly, turning to ascend the ancient wooden steps.

"Sesshoumaru," she said fondly, feeling a deep gratitude toward him despite his arrogantly issued orders, "I think I owe you three days' worth of meals."

* * *

Midoriko was finally pacified when Sesshoumaru allowed her to send Kirara back to Lia with a letter explaining that she was safe and staying with a friend for a short while. She had left out many of the details, leaving the events of the night her house had burnt purposefully cryptic. The response had been a rather frantic mixture of relief and exasperation at Midoriko's sudden disappearance, as well as an offer for a place to live. Midoriko wasn't certain she _could_ live in that house, though. Even being inside it for short visits brought back images she wanted to shove to the very bottom of her mind; a ghost lived in that house, and though she was aware that the ghost existed only in her mind, it was just as real as fact.

True to his word as always, Sesshoumaru quickly followed up on his promise to provide her with more suitable clothing, and from a surprising source. He had suddenly appeared in the doorway of her guest bedroom while she was meticulously grooming a blissful Kirara, a new kimono in one hand. It was very pretty, a mixture of pastel colors and made of a far warmer material than the one she had. He also gave her a pair of sandals that were of an older style but looked as though they had never even been worn, appearing slightly uncomfortable at having to touch the items. He extended them toward her as though he expected them to bite, looking ready to evaporate from the room.

"Where did you get these?" she quickly questioned him before he had the chance to leave, unable to silence the curiosity that made her wonder why Sesshoumaru and Inutaisho-sama would keep something so decidedly feminine in their home. She picked up the kimono and held it to her body, realizing that it was certainly of far better quality than anything she had ever owned. She stroked an appreciative hand down one sleeve, admiring it as she imagined any poor village girl _would_ in her position.

"It was packed away in my mother's room," he distantly replied.

"Your mother?" she echoed, looking up at him in surprise. She had never heard him mention the woman before, though felt foolish for being startled. Sesshoumaru had to have come from _somewhere_, after all, but this house was empty of her. There had been no sign that a female had even inhabited the place; everything was dark, and spare, and clearly masculine. She wondered if that had been purposeful, if signs of the woman had been removed for the comfort of the two males that had been left behind; or if it was just because so much time had passed, and reflections of her had disappeared naturally.

"Yes, she was much taller than you, but it's the best that can be done for now."

"Are you certain I should wear it?" she questioned uncertainly, fingers trailing once more over the fine material as she tried to imagine the woman it had once belonged to. Part of her wondered what Inutaisho would say about this situation; this human girl ensconced in his home, wearing his deceased wife's clothing. He was quite indulgent, but if it made _her _feel slightly uncomfortable, she could not imagine how he would view it.

"Would I have brought it to you if it would be offensive?" Sesshoumaru retorted evenly. "My father is overly sentimental, not I." And with that, he had abandoned her to her questions.

There were several visitors for Sesshoumaru in the days following her arrival, and Midoriko found herself quickly gaining insight into his position, the level of respect that was given him, and the responsibilities that had fallen to him now that Inutaisho was away for an unknown amount of time. It was intimidating, really; listening to reports of the various problems that were occurring around them, mostly in the demon world, things that she had not even known about. Conflicts and disputes of all sizes, disgruntled reaches for power, things that Sesshoumaru listened to and reported to his father, whether they were directly affecting the west or not. She supposed that that was because, even though some of these problems were distant, they could easily expand, and it was better to be aware. The conflict with Tora and his tiger youkai was just such an example, something that had started off as a minor series of skirmishes in the southern lands that was now finding itself closer and closer to Inutaisho's domain.

It gave Midoriko a headache just listening to it all, and she got a better understanding as to why Sesshoumaru was so consistently caught in a mode of irritation.

By far the most interesting visit, however, had been that of the being Sesshoumaru had later identified to her as Rouyakan, the guardian of the forest. Midoriko had heard of him before, but had always pictured a more fearsome demon than the one who had practically wilted the moment she had walked outside. As soon as his eyes had locked onto her, his conversation with Sesshoumaru had ended abruptly. The demon had managed to stutter something that included "Midoriko-sama" and, with a speed that belied his vast size, he had bowed to Sesshoumaru and taken his leave, all but fleeing for the cover of the forest.

"What did he say?" she asked Sesshoumaru, wandering outside into the chilly air to stand beside him as they watched Rouyakan's massive body disappear into the trees.

"He apologized for not bringing flowers," Sesshoumaru said with the tone of one speaking of a complete imbecile.

"What?" Midoriko asked, frowning in open bewilderment.

"Not long ago, I advised him that he would be best served by keeping the demons under his control away from your village. He expressed fear of you, so I mocked him by suggesting that he rectify the situation by bringing you flowers. Apparently, he missed the sarcasm. Literal beast," Sesshoumaru explained.

"He's not terribly ferocious then, is he?" she asked, laughing her amusement.

"About as much so as you," Sesshoumaru agreed, his placid expression morphing into a glare when Midoriko reached out to yank on a strand of his hair.

* * *

The reek of death and destruction was heavy in the air, made even more overpowering when Inutaisho pitched yet another flaming torch onto the pile of bodies. He stepped back then, watching as fire worked to consume the dead, and the smell of burning flesh and hair grew to choking proportions as the funeral pyre expanded to an inferno. He supposed it was wrong to glean this much satisfaction from watching the consumption of his enemies, but it was yet another segment of Tora's forces extinguished, and he felt an obscene joy from that.

Normally he would allow his enemies to retrieve their dead, take them home, see to their remains in whatever way their customs dictated, but not this time. Inutaisho had long since lost patience with these invaders.

He moved back into the night, the violent orange glow from behind him lighting his steps as he returned to Furu's encampment. Bare trees formed a natural corridor as his steps tracked their way across the destroyed earth, and his mind slowly emptied, began to relax from the heated battle. With a fluid motion, his hand fell to his sword's hilt, drawing the weapon to inspect the new scar that ran near the tip of the blade. _Toutousai will be unhappy_, he thought with absent humor. But, really, Toutousai would be uneccessary for this one; it was minor enough that Inutaisho felt certain he could repair it on his own, at least well enough until he returned home. He would need a new sword soon, though. This one was old, and worn with use, and he clung to it only because of sentimentality.

_Sentimentality will buy you an early grave if you don't do something about that_, he chided himself. He peered upward into the night sky, catching the glow of the crescent moon overhead, and that turned his thoughts back to home, and the boy who was likely in a terrible mood by this point, left behind, forced to watch the house and a human girl. Sesshoumaru would have enjoyed this, he realized, and that was all the more reason for him to be at home. His son's often warped sense of vengeance and retaliation tended to cause Inutaisho to pick and choose the conflicts in which he allowed him to participate. Purposeful extermination of an invading tribe that refused to surrender was messy, vicious, and he wanted Sesshoumaru clear of it.

His head turned expectantly just as that presence materialized, and he found Furu, the south's new lord, eyeing him with wry rebuke. "It's your own fault, dog lord. The person who makes the biggest mess gets to clean up the whole thing. Maybe next time you'll save a few of those bastards for the rest of us."

"Stop whining, Furu. You were plenty busy. I think you were just keeping track of how many I got to so that you could stay under and avoid getting your hands dirty with what was left behind. Besides, someone had to do it. We couldn't very well leave them to rot."

"Please, cling to that martyrdom," Furu invited. "I'm the one that's eaten dinner and avoided smelling like tiger corpses. You smell _terrible_, by the way." Furu's eyes traveled to Inutaisho's resheathed sword. "Looks like you're in for a long night, anyway. You'll need to fix that before tomorrow, or scrounge up something new. And you should know that your flea friend showed up with another letter from your foul-tempered pup."

Inutaisho's head rose at that, and his thoughts drifted from the immediacy of his sword's looming repair. "Foul-tempered? Is it an angry letter?"

"I don't know. I didn't read it," Furu admitted as they reached the fringes of the encampment. All signs of frost had been wiped from the ground from all the activity, leaving cold, muddy earth behind. It did not make the best environment for comfort, more from the fact that everyone seemed perpetually dirty, feet consistently coated in a layer of dark brown muck. Youkai of various species and types were lingering sporadically, polishing weapons, speaking, bragging, complaining, consuming whatever food had been caught that evening.

As Inutaisho moved toward one of the few erected tents, intent on tracking down Myouga and that letter, he heard a loud smacking sound followed by a bellowed complaint, and glanced toward the largest fire pit to find one of Furu's people angrily smearing Myouga off of him. Immediately Inutaisho changed his course of direction and headed toward the fire's warmth, Furu trailing in his wake.

"My lord!" Myouga's wizened voice exclaimed, clearly relieved, and Inutaisho lifted a mud-streaked forearm in time to watch as the tiny flea demon bit into the skin. He exhaled an indulgent sigh as he seated himself across from the hungrily blazing embers, angling to draw his weapon once more, shoving the blade deep into the flames so that it could heat to something more malleable. His patience finally reached an end, and he plucked Myouga off of him, ending the flea's unapologetic feast.

"Where is the letter, Myouga?"

No sooner had the words left his lips when a flattened piece of paper was placed into his hands, seal broken, and his eyes traveled up to find the pale, ghostly face of the eastern lord smiling with that ever-present calm. "Stop reading my mail, Isamu," he complained, eyebrows arching into disapproval as he unfolded the letter and scanned it quickly. It was short and to the point, as all such correspondence with Sesshoumaru tended to be, but as he read, he found himself just as suspicious of the events surrounding Midoriko as his son appeared to be. He finished the letter, vaguely amused by the formality of the signature, before he folded it once more and gazed thoughtfully into the fire. Something strange was going on, and it frustrated him that he simply could not see enough of the pieces in order to put it all together.

His eyes lifted then to find Isamu still staring at him. "I cannot escape the feeling that Tora knows something about this."

"You have good instincts. I would listen to them," Isamu murmured in return, pale eyes lit to an eerie orange from the fire.

It didn't make sense, though. If Tora had sent someone for Midoriko, it would have ended differently. If his purpose was to make her part of his arsenal, she would not have been left behind. And if he had meant to kill her so that she could not be used by Inutaisho, then she would not have been left alive. Then again, Tora might not have been involved at all, but the few statements they had been able to squeeze out of some of the prisoners led him to believe that Tora knew far too much about what was really going on. And there _were_ his instincts, as Isamu had mentioned. They usually served him well, and at the moment they were telling him to finish with this conflict and return home as soon as possible.

His attention was diverted when Furu moved to withdraw the blindingly-orange blade from the fire pit, bringing it up to eye it speculatively before he laid it against the fire's edge and rose to move a few steps away. He pulled a hammering tool right out of the hands of another youkai, grasped a sharpener from the ground, and some other miscellaneous items Inutaisho could not identify from that vantage point. Then, offering smarmy gratitude to the obviously irritated youkai, Furu returned, brown legs folding under themselves as he made himself comfortable and bent over Inutaisho's weakened weapon.

"I can fix that, Furu," Inutaisho reminded him.

"I'm bored," came the drawled response, as the bear demon's eyes fixated on the hairline crack. "Besides, not all of us are spoiled useless by our own youkai swordsmith. I'll guarantee you I can fix this faster than you can."

"Faster isn't always better. Please keep that in mind," Inutaisho admonished with a slow grin.

"I guess we'll see how much I really like you, whether this thing falls apart tomorrow, eh?" Furu answered in turn, head coming up to smirk at his elder friend. His eyes lowered back to his careful work then, and he airily added, "So how long until that self-proclaimed northern god gets off his ass and comes to pitch in? He's had his own problems with them lately."

"Why would Eizan bother when he knows we'll do the work for him?" Inutaisho replied wryly, hearing Isamu's muttered agreement as they both watched Furu's skillful hands at work. "Although if I can get someone to take that bet, maybe I won't be left with the cleanup tomorrow..."

* * *

Midoriko found it difficult to believe that a finer house than Inutaisho-sama's even existed. It had been built hundreds of years earlier, yet contained more comforts than any modern house that she knew of. Its large size and many rooms were impressive enough, as was the beautiful land that surrounded it, picturesque and perfect, tranquil. An aura of solitude and peace encapsulated this place, and it was easy to feel comfortable. Nothing, however, had impressed Midoriko more than the bath that was built into the center of the squared building, a steaming pool of water that flowed in from an underground spring, directly into a massive marble enclosure. Sesshoumaru had shown it to her the day she had arrived in an attempt to end her complaints about reeking of smoke. The sight of all that clean, warm water had made Midoriko almost giddy, and she had barely heard him as he had explained that the house had been built in this place just because of the presence of that spring. As the warm air had swept past her face, Midoriko had closed her eyes, luxuriated in it, and had found herself silently praising the obvious wisdom of Sesshoumaru's ancestors.

Evening was gathering on the fifth day since her arrival at Sesshoumaru's home when Midoriko gleefully returned to that bath, having left her host to his business of reading a new letter from Inutaisho-sama. Quickly shedding her new kimono, Midoriko stepped down into the soothing waters, muscles tingling as the warmth lapped over her cold skin, instantly heating everything to bliss. The entire room appeared other-worldly from the foggy steam that rose to encapsulate the interior, creating ghostly apparitions that hovered above her as she sunk in and settled herself to enjoy a nice, long soak. She inhaled a deep breath of humid air, barely believing that only a few stone walls separated her from the snowy, icy ground outside. _Oh, would Lia be jealous..._

As she leaned her head back, feeling drowsy from the spring's effects, Midoriko fondly considered Sesshoumaru, who had been excessively kind to her over the past several days, providing her with clothing, food, and speaking to her in a tone that could almost be described as friendly. She wondered if it was all meant as an effort to keep her from arguing the need to return to her village, but Midoriko found that she did not care. Being around him as much as she had lately had only reinforced the feelings she had been realizing slowly, methodically, for as long as she had known him. As she grew more and more comfortable in his house, she found that her desire to return to the village was waning. In truth, she would be utterly content to remain here with him for as long as he would allow it, and she supposed_ that _was all the more reason to try to get back to her village as soon as possible.

It was cruel, really, she thought suddenly, the smile fading some from her face as her eyes opened to stare at the distant ceiling. There was no possibility of a romantic involvement for them in the future, and yet the idea of him finding a youkai wife made her feel sick with jealousy. There would certainly be no place for her once that occurred and she found herself sadly wondering how long it would be before he would look to take on a mate. Midoriko knew he was less than a hundred years old, still very young by demon standards. Perhaps he would not find one in her lifetime, and if that was the case, Midoriko knew she would rather remain unmarried and free to be with him as much as he would allow, instead of being wedded to one of the village farmers.

When thinking of Sesshoumaru, Midoriko tended to purposefully avoid the word "love", but it still existed, in one form or another. Friendship, romantic, affectionate; all of those swirled together into a conglomeration of confusing feelings. She could feel it every single time she looked at him, spoke to him, saw him. She admired him in more ways than she could count, she was proud of the qualities in him that would make him a formidable youkai lord in the future, and she was grateful to him for many things, most of which he probably was not even aware. But she also knew that it was because she cared for him so deeply that she would never want their relationship to proceed beyond the point they had reached. He had his place and she had hers...and she would have to make the best of what time she was allowed with him.

* * *

_Midoriko turned at the sound of her name. It echoed strangely within her ears as she looked down to find one of the little village boys grinning up at her, his hand extended, a beautiful, delicate yellow flower clasped in his muddy fist. She took it from him, murmured a thank you, somehow not noticing that his eyes were too large for his head and that his mouth held fangs. He then turned away from her, skipping off into treecover, and her mind absently prompted her with the fact that her village was surrounded by spiked, timbered walls, not trees. How strange..._

_Around her sat a dozen small wooden houses lined up in a straight row. Several adults were speaking to each other in low, calm voices, looking on as a small group of children squealed and played, kicking a ball back and forth between themselves. Midoriko glanced upward to find night sprawling overhead, and felt disconcerted by the amount of light around her. There was no moon, no stars. Where was it coming from?_

_"Midoriko."_

_Distracted from that eerie discovery, Midoriko turned at the sound of that familiar voice to find Lia suddenly beside her, smiling joyfully. "They appreciate it, you know," she said, gesturing a delicate hand toward the frolicking children. "And so do we all. The exterminators aren't going to know what to do with all of their free time."_

_"What do you mean?" Midoriko asked slowly, feeling dim-witted._

_Lia blinked wide brown eyes. "What do I mean? Why that, of course," she said, turning to point behind them. Midoriko followed the young woman's line of sight, her gaze finally resting on an enormous mountain of dead youkai piled on the outskirts of the village, their dismembered bodies and unseeing eyes glowing with a fierce purple light._

_"Imagine having all of those demon parts available for weapons construction and to have no youkai to fight," Lia said mirthfully, shaking her head at the strangeness of it all._

_Midoriko barely heard the words, so horrified was she by the gigantic mound of dead youkai. _Did I…? _Her attention was diverted then when an unearthly scream pierced her ears. Feeling as though she was moving in slow motion, she whirled around in time to see a towering centipede demon rushing down toward the circle of children, all of whom were attempting to flee, none of whom were going to be quick enough. Midoriko lurched forward in a sudden gathering of speed, sprinting toward the demon, her vision filled with glassy eyes and extended pincers. She was absently surprised to find her sword suddenly in hand; the hilt was hot to the touch, and Midoriko could feel it burning insistently in her palm as she swung it at the centipede, watching with grim satisfaction as it exploded violently into a pile of mush._

_Cheering echoed out from the people behind her, but for some reason, Midoriko felt the moment of triumph dissipate. An empty, desolate feeling seized her heart, as though she had just done something that had no hope of being repaired. Someone moved to stand next to her; she could see the shadow extend beside her, felt the brush of someone else's clothing. She glanced up at Ashrem, his black hair and robes ruffling in the wind, smile of satisfaction firmly in place._

_"I knew you would see it my way, Midoriko. It was only a matter of time until you understood," he said quietly._

_"What do you mean?" she asked, allowing the man to pull her along by one arm until they reached the remains of the centipede. Midoriko watched in rapt fascination as Ashrem set about digging into the pile of goo, shoving it away in great handfuls until a pale, limp hand was made visible. He continued to dig, and with each removed handful, more of the body within was revealed until Midoriko finally took a step away from it, distancing herself as though to refute that she had been responsible. Beneath it all, there was Sesshoumaru, silent and cold, eyes closed in death. And as she realized what she had done, Midoriko felt herself begin to shake uncontrollably, that promise to Inutaisho-sama shrieking inside of her ears._

_"I didn't know it was him," she gasped, unable to tear her eyes from her friend's eerily peaceful face._

_"Yes, you did, my dear. It can hardly come as a surprise," Ashrem replied with certainty, sounding thoroughly above it all. In the next instant, the pile of youkai remains and Sesshoumaru's body disappeared, followed quickly by the crowd of people within the village. Ashrem turned on her with eyes that glittered fiercely, as though possessed by some inhuman force. "You will make the correct decision. He trusts you, you know. He'll never see it coming."_

_Midoriko blinked dry eyes, her shock melting away as the realization struck her that she was caught in something unreal, a dream, and as soon as the thought occurred to her, the scene around her melted even further, the village houses collapsing into a void of blackness, leaving her behind with only Ashrem and a mind that was whirling with repressed truth._

_"Ashrem!" she raged at the obnoxiously self-satisfied man, fists clenched furiously. "How could I have forgotten!"_

_With a swift movement that didn't seem to catch him by surprise, Midoriko brought her weapon up, a well of fury motivating her to shove the blade directly through his stomach...only to find that it had no effect. Ashrem chuckled at her, as though forgiving her for a tantrum, and took a step backward to free himself from the sword. "You cannot touch me...I am safely at a distance. You, however, are at my every whim."_

_"You're an arrogant bastard, aren't you?" she snapped._

_"Not at all. I simply know my abilities, as I also know yours now. You will grow to be quite formidable, Midoriko, and that in and of itself verifies what I have tried to tell you. Inutaisho will be forced to end your life one day. He cannot allow for a human to ever rival him in power. You will have to decide the matter first. In fact, I will _see_ to it that you do."_

_"Coward," she accused, her angry expression morphing into a certain smirk. "You're so terrified of Inutaisho-sama and Sesshoumaru that you would send me to do your dirty work. It's not going to happen, Ashrem. You'll be surprised to find how stubborn I can be."_

_He shook his head at her, appearing greatly amused. "It doesn't matter, Midoriko. Don't you understand? You are now an extension of me and you shall remain so until I am finished with you. But I can see how awkward it might be for a stranger to be able to access your mind, so why don't I ease things for you? Let's start our work, shall we?"_

_"I'm going to kill you, Ashrem," Midoriko swore sincerely._

_He grinned at her with a confidence that made her blood burn. "My dear child, your anger is premature...save it for later. You'll need it to survive the battles that will be coming. Don't disappoint me."_

_Midoriko glared for a moment, concentrating on Ashrem's leering, gloating face, and then with as much strength as she could gather, she swung her sword at him once more, this time cutting through the cloth of his robes. Blood immediately began to soak the garment, and Ashrem took another step back from her, the smile fading from his face instantly. Midoriko moved in to attack him again, but he held up one hand, his pupils growing large and dark, and she suddenly found her sword arm unable to swing._

_"Cool your temper, Midoriko," he hissed, making a motion as if to wave her away._

-

Darkness overwhelmed her sight then and she felt herself struggling against..._something_, an unseen assailant that made her limbs and body feel sluggish and unresponsive. Her eyes finally opened and her brain instinctively kept her from drawing in a full breath, recognizing that she was under water before her vision was able to fully assimilate the fact. She tried to rise above the water; the surface hovered just above her head, distorted by the sloshing liquid that was being tossed about, but it felt as though a great weight was pressing her down to the bottom. Her chest tightened painfully, constricting at the lack of air, and just as she became certain that she was about to drown, the weight released her and her legs forced her back to the surface.

She pulled herself up over the side of the bath, gagging and coughing up a mouthful of warm water, waiting a moment for her starved lungs to draw in a deep breath. Midoriko did not allow herself the luxury of recovering from the near fatal incident, instead clambering back to her feet so quickly that she slipped on a puddle and slammed her knee back into the marble floor. Gritting her teeth and still gasping for air, she climbed back to her feet and grabbed for her kimono, pulling it on as she hurried out of the room.

Across the house, Sesshoumaru looked up from his father's most recent letter, registering the approach of rapid, bare footfalls. It was easy to sense that something was wrong, and so he dropped the letter and moved out into the corridor just in time for a very wet Midoriko to collide into him with force enough to suggest her great hurry. He grasped her by the arms to keep her from slipping, frowning as she worked to gather enough air for speech.

"Sesshoumaru!" she finally gasped, her voice sounding choked and strained, face tinted pink from some sort of exertion. She was completely soaked, her hair hanging down in long, sopping tendrils, water pooling off her body to form a puddle around her feet.

"What is it?" he questioned, not releasing his hold on her as his senses dove into his surroundings. He absently wondered if he could have missed an intruder's presence, but scoffed at the idea even as his senses of smell and hearing verified the presence of no one else in the house other than Kirara. An impatient golden stare settled on Midoriko as the girl began to fumble for what she wanted to say.

"I...," Midoriko started frantically, but she was stopped by a fit of coughing, and in that moment, the words she had been intending to say to him disappeared with a suddenness that made her blink in confusion. "I...," she tried again, struggling to think, but the urgency of the moment had been lost and she found herself feeling suddenly stupid as she looked up at the demon who stood tensed and ready for some unknown threat.

He frowned down at her odd behavior. "Did you come from the bath?"

"Yes," she admitted, then blushed furiously as she adjusted the kimono that was so carelessly hanging about her.

"Did you bathe or drown?" he questioned half-seriously.

_You fell asleep._ "I must have fallen asleep," she murmured automatically, but something about that struck her as odd. Her sight locked on Sesshoumaru's face once more; there was a flash of an image that unsettled her, but it was gone before she could identify it, and she felt for an instant as though she had forgotten something terribly important. An ache began to form in her skull, and she rubbed her forehead absently, struggling to think.

"And this is what you practically broke your neck to tell me?" he asked suspiciously.

"No," she said emphatically, shaking her head, attempting to concentrate, but the harder she tried, the further whatever it was seemed to slip away. Finally, out of desperation, she reached out and grabbed his sleeve, wanting to make sure he understood the gravity of what she was saying. "Sesshoumaru, be _careful_. Something's not right."

He dismissively waved away her concern, detaching her hold on him. "If someone poses a threat, I'll sense them before they'll be able to do anything. You must have been dreaming of something that disturbed you."

Midoriko reluctantly accepted that, but it did not relieve her sudden encompassing fear for him and she could not logically explain what it was that was making her stomach clench with such anxiety. Worried brown eyes followed him as he moved away from her and returned to his room. She lingered at the doorway, something in her still wanting to form words that would not come, and it was oddly comforting just to be near him, as though she hoped his confidence and certainty would boost her own.

He appeared not to mind her presence as he returned his attention to a pile of letters and maps on the table, so she remained there, looking at the sparse furnishings and the weapons that hung bracketed sporadically against the walls. The room was as clean and calm as its inhabitant, but far colder, she thought, suddenly shivering in her damp kimono. The screen doors that led to the outside were open, as though he had recently come in from the outdoors. A shaft of moonlight glowed against the wood floors, the whitish light off-setting the orange glow from the lamp on the table. Even _he_ appeared to glow, and she found herself watching, mesmerized. Her eyes closed then, and she inhaled a calming breath, allowing herself the luxury of imagining what it would be like to be a true member of this household, to have the demon inside that room regard her with the same feelings she held for him...

"Go change, Midoriko," Sesshoumaru's voice distantly broke into her fantasy. He did not look back at her, instead flipping a page as he added, "It's too cold for you to stand about sopping wet."

She nodded wordlessly and reluctantly left his presence to do as he had suggested, wishing not for the first time that he could simply shed that demon side, and become an ordinary, attainable human man.

* * *

**To the Reviewers:**

_**Riinuka: **Thank you very much! And I'll have to go check out your story as soon as I get a second to breathe. Between this, homework, and other things, I am one busy little Otaku!_

_**Blaise:** lol! Sorry, I don't mean to write with such big words…it just comes out as it comes out, I'm afraid. I hope it won't scare you away! Thanks for the read!_

_**Demic Cheerleader:** Thanks a lot! I'm glad you liked it…wow, all caps. I'm honored. ;) And, no, Rin is not going to be Midoriko's reincarnation. That would be a little difficult to do, considering that in the episode they explained that Midoriko's soul is actually inside the Shikon no Tama. The poor girl can't very well be reincarnated if she's still busy blowing away all those demons inside that jewel. ;)_


	8. Enemy Revealed

**Chapter Eight - Enemy Revealed**

The type of silence that comes with a snowy winter's night descended over the home of the western lord, a profound quiet that eventually allowed the troubled Midoriko to fall into a deep sleep, Kirara curled in a soft, purring ball beside her.

It was in this deep blackness that a firm, insistent voice suddenly echoed from within her skull, a chillingly precise order.

_Kill him._

Midoriko's eyes opened slowly, groggily, not wanting to adjust to the dimness of her room. For a moment she wondered what it was that had woken her. Something distant rang in the back of her mind, lingering words, whispery. Had it been a voice? She could feel the warmth of Kirara's body heat next to her arm and absent-mindedly reached over to softly pet the youkai's fur before shutting her eyes once more and drifting off...

Again an impenetrable blackness blanked her mind, and the voice repeated its command, this time with more fervor.

_Kill him._

_Kill who? _she voiced her confusion.

_Your enemy. Our enemy. Go on._

Something bright flashed behind her eyelids and she sat up on her bed, feeling suddenly certain that the voice was speaking wisely. Of course. How could she have forgotten? Kirara's bright red eyes opened then as well, and she watched Midoriko with a curious gaze.

_Get the sword._

Midoriko's bleary gaze found the sheathed blade resting on the table on the opposite wall and, with only a slight rustle of clothing to give sound to her movements, she left the bed, one hand reaching steadily out to grasp onto the leathery hilt. A resounding thrum surged through her fingertips upon contact with the weapon and, with slow precision, she pulled the sword from its protective sheath, the glint of metal flashing in the vague light that was drifting in from the night's moon.

_Go on. He is nearby. You were angry at him earlier, don't you remember? You _wanted_ to kill him._

Yes, yes. She did remember. The image of the person she had raged at earlier that day refused to come into focus, but she recognized the familiar wave of fury that swept through her and, feeling as though there was an unseen guide pulling her along, she left her room and entered the hallway, Kirara pattering uncertainly at her heels. Midoriko slowly wended her way through the house with barely a thought as to her intended direction, but when she finally came to a large, heavy door at the end of another corridor, she paused uncertainly.

_He's in there. Do it quickly and you will be free of him._

Midoriko gave a mental nod and pushed the door open slowly, noiselessly. The silence around her was deafening as she slipped through the small opening, her bare feet feeling numb and far away as they stepped inside the darkened room. Only a very faint light could be seen from the lantern that hung on the other side of the screen door that led outside, casting enough of a glow for her to make out a form on the bed.

_Hurry. Don't let him strike first._

Her heart gave a sudden loud thump, sending a surge of blood pulsing up to pound inside her head. _This is wrong, something's wrong. _But her sword arm rose on its own, and another startling explosion of warning flashed inside of her brain with enough clarity to make her stumble uncertainly backward. A soft questioning chirp issued from Kirara.

_No..._

_Do it!_

The figure on the bed moved then, rising to a seated position and, for a moment, Ashrem's face smirked back at her from the dimness. Her earlier anger returned full force and it was enough to overcome any misgivings. With a purposeful swing, Midoriko's blade reared back and then forward, igniting with a violent burst of energy that utterly destroyed the room.

* * *

Sesshoumaru's eyes opened, all of his senses alert instantly. He could smell her approach, hear it, sense it, and so he was not surprised when his door began to inch open. He_ did _find himself curious as to the purpose of so late a visit, but refrained from considering it further. Turning his head, he watched her silently as she slipped inside the room, noticing that her gaze was riveted upon him with an expression that he found himself unable to decipher. He noticed an instant later that she had brought her sword with her.

He sat up quickly, but before he could ask her what was wrong, the blade rose, hesitated for a moment, and then swung with deadly purpose. Sesshoumaru had only a moment to register his surprise before his demon instincts kicked in and he dove off of the bed, colliding with the floor on the opposite side of the room just as a magnificent violet-white explosion passed through where he had been sitting. It struck the outside wall, blowing it away with the ease of a stick of dynamite. He could feel that sickening purifying energy, the near miss making his insides feel as though they had suddenly liquefied.

The floor underneath him shook as the walls shuddered from the blast, splinters of wood embedding themselves in his skin like tiny knives. He regained his bearings quickly and leapt back to his feet, rushing toward Midoriko, who had been blown back into the hallway. She was still attempting to shake off the effects of the impact when he pulled the sword away from her, hurling it down the hallway. It slid easily across the slick wood floors before finally spinning to a stop.

"Midoriko!" he barked, still caught solidly between fury and confusion, but when she turned her head to focus on him he noticed, for the slightest instant, the impression of a blue mark on her forehead, which faded away almost as soon as his eyes rested on it. _A four-pointed star_, he thought, recalling the strange observation she had made about the tiger youkai all those many months back. He was quiet for a moment, mind whirling as it put all of these things together. Indeed it seemed that his father's enemies had struck, and yet something about the situation appeared false. Subtle manipulation was unlike the tiger demons; they were brash, headstrong, and reckless. The very idea that they were even capable of such a skill was absurd, and if they were, he was certain they would have seen it before now.

It seemed most likely to Sesshoumaru that their enemy was being aided by another.

Midoriko blinked dazedly until Sesshoumaru's tense face blurred into focus. She noticed the scratches on his face, shoulders, and chest, the look of bewilderment mixed with anger, but what drew her attention most was the complete lack of an outside wall in the devastated room behind him. Moonlight poured in from the blackness outside, as did a soft swirling mix of snow.

"Sesshoumaru," she breathed in surprise, "What happened to the...?"

"You are being controlled," he told her without preamble.

"Huh?" she asked stupidly, feeling a familiar sense of blankness and confusion settle in her mind.

"You and your sword," he informed her, sweeping one hand to point at the weapon lying far out of reach down the hallway, "did _that_." He then indicated the destroyed room behind him and turned back to her with an eerie calm.

Struck speechless by his words, Midoriko rose to her feet and moved past him. The room looked like an explosion had occurred. Wood, debris, and part of the ceiling littered the floor, all of it quickly being covered by the insistent snowfall. She looked at the remains of the charred bed, the intricate carvings having been turned an ashy gray. Shuffling over to the table he had been working at earlier in the evening, Midoriko noticed a few ragged pieces of paper and picked them up, recognizing them as the maps he had been so carefully studying, a letter from his father...

"How could I have done this?" she whispered in disbelief, as though expecting him to reveal that it was all a prank. She suddenly felt foreign, as though she was inhabiting a body that wasn't really hers. This destruction was worse than anything she had ever done. And..._why?_

"You were being helped, no doubt," Sesshoumaru commented. The roof above them groaned warningly and a pale hand lashed out to pull her from the room.

"Then you and Inutaisho-sama were right. Someone is using me as a means to try to..."

"Kill me?" Sesshoumaru suggested grimly. "I gathered that."

Midoriko exhaled a shaky breath, pulling her eyes away from the disturbing state of what had once been his room. "Then do you think it's Tora...?

"Tora is an idiot. I cannot believe that he would have such abilities, but he might have befriended someone who does," Sesshoumaru voiced his suspicions, hands coming up to brush himself free of a thick coating of dust.

Feelings of guilt and fear gripped Midoriko as she helplessly eyed the disheveled demon that stood before her. Judging from the destruction that had been wrought on the house, she felt certain she had now reached a point where she was capable of killing even him. Certainly, if not for his instincts, she would have succeeded tonight. A knot formed in her stomach as, again, an image of a dead Sesshoumaru filled her mind.

"Please forgive me. I didn't realize..."

"Baka," he brusquely dismissed her apology before she could finish it. Frigid air from the outside brushed over him and he turned once more to inspect the remains of his room. Her power _had_ grown. He was certain that if this had occurred in the interior of the house, a quarter of the building would have come down around them. The roof creaked loudly once more and he glared at it, as though holding it responsible for its own weakness.

Wordlessly, he led Midoriko back down the hallway, pausing only to gather up her sword. Kirara walked ahead, periodically stopping to look back apprehensively at her friend. Sesshoumaru walked with her back to her room, moving over to the table to place the sword carefully into its empty sheath, the snap breaking the silence.

"Take it with you," Midoriko requested woodenly, eyeing the blade with obvious apprehension.

He glanced back at her at that, appearing thoughtful. "I'm not going anywhere," he stated, and as though to illustrate that point, he settled himself on the floor beside the table that held the sword, legs bent and arms folded. "Your attacker tends to strike when you are alone. If I am here, perhaps I will be able to glean some information as to their identity. If nothing else, my presence might keep them from trying again."

"You're injured," Midoriko said in a quiet, regretful voice, kneeling to inspect the cuts and scrapes that marred his skin.

"They'll be gone within the hour," he carelessly informed her. "Go to sleep."

She shook her head, frown marring her features as brown eyes swerved up to meet his. "Do you _really_ think I'll be able to go to sleep after this?"

"You'll have to eventually," he offered reasonably. "Being excessively weary will likely only make it easier for him. That is probably why he seems to attack during sleep. It would explain what occurred while you were in the bath."

"Explain what?"

"Precisely. You still cannot tell me what happened or reveal _why_ it was that you were hurrying to find me for a reason that you could not recall by the time you did. Does that not strike you as odd?"

"Yes," she admitted hesitantly.

"Good. Go to sleep."

She shook her head again, this time more vehemently, feeling a sudden rise in irritation. "You're abnormally calm for someone I just attempted to murder tonight," she accused, and she realized that something in her would oddly prefer if he was a bit angry, rather than this all-knowing, all-seeing _calm_ he appeared able to summon at a moment's notice. "What makes you think I won't try again? And what if I actually succeed next ti---?"

"You won't kill me," he told her with a certainty she did not feel.

"I wish I was that confident," she murmured.

He eyed her for a moment before finally speaking again, voice sounding as though he was giving in. "Kirara." The cat perked up immediately, tails swishing as her head swung toward him. "Bring me Tenseiga."

Instantly Kirara transformed into her larger form amidst a whoosh of flames and shot back out of the door, returning less than a minute later with the sheathed Tenseiga in her mouth. Kirara allowed Sesshoumaru to take the blade before promptly detransforming, and he set it in his lap, fingers hanging loosely over the sheath. That soul-scouring golden stare settled on Midoriko again and she knew her confusion must have been obvious.

"This sword is a healing sword, as you have seen," Sesshoumaru explained. "It can revive the dead, as I have told you, but it serves another purpose as well," he said, one of his claws stroking lightly over the hilt. "It will prevent you from taking my life."

"How can that be?"

"If Tenseiga is with me, it will protect me. If it finds itself overwhelmed, it reacts by literally pulling me from a battle and transporting me out of range of death. I know this, because it has happened before," he told her, looking less than grateful.

Midoriko eyed the sword speculatively, but did not look thoroughly convinced. "But what if...?"

"There is no need for concern," Sesshoumaru insisted. He recognized the look of fear in her face and what it was meant to convey, and forced his voice to soften some. "Why do you persist in worrying over needless things?"

She turned an expression on him that said far more than he had expected and he found his instincts instantly at war with each other, one liking the idea of drawing closer, the other demanding that he pull back. He settled for doing neither. _How did this happen? _he wondered silently. _This girl_…where had all of that emotion for him come from? It amazed, repulsed, and drew him all at once, something that was completely unacceptable, yet oddly welcome at the same time.

"You don't understand," she began in a halting, whispery voice, eyes locked on his face. She was suddenly caught by the face that was staring back at her, and many, many months of feelings felt an overwhelming need to express themselves. "Sesshoumaru," she said softly, almost as though afraid he _would_ hear her, "I..."

"Don't say it," he stiffly interrupted her, knowing instinctively what was about to come from her lips. If not the words, then the sentiment. As always, she was so simple to read. He did not want to have to say to her what would be necessary if the subject was broached, and he was surprised at how desperate he was to preserve her feelings, but something made him say it aloud, tried to summon the nicest way to convey it.

"Midoriko," he said quietly, "We can _never_..."

"I know," she said quickly, drawing away from him and averting her eyes. _What was I _thinking?she ranted silently. She had been about to blurt out her feelings, so rattled was she by the night's events. _He must think I'm so stupid_, she thought with sickening surety, because she certainly did. It was all so utterly ridiculous, and being surrounded by him as she had been lately had only lessened her grasp on reality.

"Sometimes matters are decided for us, Midoriko. There are some things that cannot be changed. This is one of those things."

The look of sick misery on her face halted his speech. What was it that he could say? She was very young. She did not know what she really wanted...or what was good for her, for that matter. He decided there really was nothing he could say to improve the situation, but as he sat and studied her, gaze locked on a face that refused to look back at him, he considered all of these many months, how she had changed, and how he had changed _with_ her, adapting to her, befriending her, protecting her...

She had not altered his feelings toward her species, but she had altered _him_ in some way he could not name. He wasn't entirely sure what motivated him; curiosity, affection, or the desire to pull her out of that humiliation that was so plainly evident from her body language and averted eyes, but he leaned forward, allowed the _one_ moment...

And Midoriko sensed the movement, turned to face him only to find that he had closed the gap between them with a suddenness that caused an instant of mild panic. In the next moment, his lips were pressed lightly against hers, an expression of affection, and before she could register much more than dumbfounded surprise, the kiss was ended and he settled back once more, amused at his effect on her, which quickly became a furious blush and a faintly happier expression. She looked as though she had been forgiven.

"Go to sleep," he ordered again then, slicing through the moment as his hands fell back to rest on Tenseiga.

* * *

Booted feet sloshed through the dismal mixture of mud and melting snow as Ashrem made his way through the dripping forest. The day had dawned unreasonably warm, considering that the past several days had seen so much wintry precipitation, and it was making the journey to meet the forest guardian, Rouyakan, messy and difficult.

He had sent word to the youkai as soon as his attempt on Sesshoumaru's life via Midoriko had failed. The girl was stubborn. If she had acted when he had instructed instead of resisting, Inutaisho's son would likely be dead now. Midoriko's pathetic feelings for the demon were making matters difficult, but there was always another way to achieve a desired outcome. If the demon slayer would not come to the demons, then he would be glad to send them to her.

When he arrived at the clearing that had been designated for their meeting, Ashrem found Rouyakan already waiting. Upon noting the human's presence, the demon pulled himself up to his full height and attempted an expression of fierceness. Ashrem's step did not falter.

"What is it that you wanted, human?"

Ashrem decided to buy into the youkai's posturing. "Rouyakan-sama, forgive me for disturbing you, but I wished to speak to you on a matter that greatly concerns you and your kind." He gave a dramatic pause, noting the spark of interest in the other being. "You know that I have long been a friend to the youkai population, particularly so to Lord Inutaisho. It is for that reason that I have come to inform you that the demon exterminator Midoriko made an attempt on the life of the lord's son, Sesshoumaru, only last night."

"Are you _certain_ of this?" Rouyakan exclaimed in a booming voice, clearly astounded. His enormous yellow eyes grew as wide as boulders. "Sesshoumaru-dono seemed to have befriended ---"

"Yes, he did consider her a friend. And do you see how she repaid him? The girl is clearly unstable. If she will attempt to slay a demon that has been nothing but kind and honorable to her, what mercy will she show the rest of you, I wonder?"

Rouyakan paused, appearing to be deep in thought and Ashrem could barely suppress a smile of victory. _This is far too easy..._

"Then she must be destroyed," Rouyakan finally concluded.

"Agreed, as much as it pains me to say," Ashrem nodded, feigning an expression of sadness. "I, too, was rather fond of her, but for the sake of peace between our kind, this matter cannot go without response. I trust that you and your forest-dwelling youkai will see to the matter?"

Looking hesitant, Rouyakan finally nodded.

"Thank you, Rouyakan-sama. Your Lord Sesshoumaru will no doubt be most pleased to see you rise to his defense."

The beast seemed slightly cheered by this statement, but then ended the discussion by returning to the depths of the forest to recruit those who would be willing to stand up to Midoriko. It would be a massacre, Ashrem judged as he, too, turned to leave.

She would have no choice but to destroy them _all._

* * *

"Agh! Kirara, don't splash! Just because it's melted doesn't mean it's not _cold_!" Midoriko complained with a laugh as she watched the huge cat make another swipe in the pond for a fish. Glittering scales were visible for an instant before they swished away again, and Kirara bounded around to the other side of the pond, watching with keen interest, tail swishing expectantly as she waited for signs of movement beneath the water.

She was as glad to be out of the house as Midoriko, who had never been one to enjoy being cooped up indoors. Winter had always been difficult to endure and though Inutaisho's home had many things within its walls to divert her attention, the desire for fresh air had driven her outside at the first signs of a melt.

Sesshoumaru watched them from the steps that led up to the house. He had not let his guard down since the incident two nights earlier, and, thus far, nothing had happened. He could not decide whether that was more welcome or irritating. So long as the attacker left Midoriko alone, there was no hope of finding any clue as to his identity. But, again, as long as he left her alone, she was normal and in control of her senses.

A great weight seemed to have lifted from her in the past day or so. She was frolicking about with Kirara as though she did not have a care in the world, though he had noticed that she had removed the sword from her room and stored it in another part of the house. Despite how much happier she seemed, she clearly did not trust herself. He had agreed to her request to keep Tenseiga with him. It was unnecessary, but if it lessened her worry he was willing to do it. They had enough to focus on without the addition of petty squabbling over that damnable guardian sword.

Sesshoumaru believed that the upswing in her mood was likely more to do with the new understanding that had developed between them. Even though the matter had not been discussed since he had shown her that rather uncharacteristic display of affection, he was certain that she was aware of what he had been trying to say. She _was_ his friend, and his rejection of her was not because of _her_ as an individual. She knew of his responsibilities to his family and to his father's lands. At the same time, he also understood that somewhere along the way, for whatever reason, this human girl had decided to love him. How very strange, but then they were such odd creatures...

The cawing of a bird caused him to glance up at a brilliant cerulean sky. A distant black dot was flapping toward his house, one that was quickly recognizable as a crow.

Midoriko noticed the messenger, too, and shielded her eyes against the sun in order to get a good look at it as it circled the home once and then descended to drop a letter in Sesshoumaru's outstretched hand. She left Kirara to the fishing and hurried over to the steps, wrapping her cold hands in the long sleeves of her heavy kimono.

Sesshoumaru scanned the letter rapidly before finally looking at her, a vague glint of victory in his eyes. "They've captured the leader of the tiger youkai."

"And what will they do with him? Kill him?"

"Knowing my father, he's likely plotting the best way to execute the bastard as I speak, if he hasn't already lost his temper, that is."

Midoriko blinked in surprise. "Really? Inutaisho-sama always seems to be so calm and even-tempered..."

"As a youkai lord he is rather mild-mannered," Sesshoumaru granted, "but as a warrior he is brutal. There is a reason why his enemies fear him. I expect that pieces of Tora will be found in several nearby provinces."

* * *

Sudden light infiltrated the damp, stone-walled chamber in which Tora was bound, causing him to blink at the sudden onslaught. His demon senses were failing him due to the severity of the wounds he had been dealt in the battle against the youkai lords, and they were slow in returning, much to his frustration. Furu had taken great pleasure in throwing him into the deepest, darkest cell his fortress possessed. And Tora knew his entire tribe had been decimated without even having to form the question. It was to be expected.

His weakened sense of smell prevented him from discovering the identity of his visitor until booted feet became visible in the dimness. The imperious form of Inutaisho walked steadily toward him, pausing briefly to settle an oil lamp onto a rocky ledge. A brown-tinged glow filled the small room and Tora looked down to discover that several spiders were crawling over the shreds of clothing that clung to his body. Giant gray rats drank from puddles of dark, brackish water before skittering away to safety.

Tora did his best to work up a defiant look for his captor, who stared down at him with an unsettling coolness.

"I trust you are relatively comfortable, Tora? Furu-sama's original recommendation was for your accommodations to be a wooden box underneath the ground. Fortunately for you, I had a desire to speak with you. I hope your answers won't disappoint me."

"My death is assured. What could I possibly gain by speaking to you, mutt?" Tora spat back, feeling a quickly boiling rage well up within him.

Inutaisho ignored the disrespect, appearing unconcerned. "We can negotiate as to whether I will spare your life. You are aware that the women and children of your tribe remain alive?"

Tora was taken aback by this revelation. It was unexpected, particularly considering the obvious wrath that had been behind that last battle. Barreling through that human village had turned out to be a bad idea; it had set Inutaisho on him like a rabid animal. "No, though I am certain that their executions will quickly follow mine."

"Ah, but that's where you and I differ, Tora," Inutaisho corrected him, golden eyes glittering in the faint light. "I do not kill children. However, there is the matter of your women...many of them are trained warriors and fought alongside you. By rights they should die as well, though it does not suit me to leave children orphaned. Your answers to my questions will dictate my response to the survivors."

"Agreed," Tora replied through gritted teeth. In his mind's eye he could see the four youngest of his children. His mate had been alive when last he had seen her. Perhaps not all would be lost...

"I received a letter from my son yesterday morning," Inutaisho began. "It seems that a young woman, a demon slayer named Midoriko, attempted to murder him while he slept."

"Your son should choose his women more wisely."

Inutaisho's face darkened and he lowered himself to Tora's level, tone becoming more dangerous by the word. "_In_ this letter," he continued, as though Tora had not interrupted, "it was revealed that the girl appeared to have been controlled by an outside force. On her forehead was a mark, one that we are familiar with as it was also present on the tiger youkai you sent to attack my home many months ago."

Tora shook his head vehemently at the subtle accusation, wishing suddenly that his hands were at least tied loosely enough for an attempt at freeing them. He would _love_ to die with his fingers around the dog lord's throat. "It was not I who ordered the attack on your home."

"Then you know who it was."

"Yes. Guarantee that my life will be spared and I will tell you all you need to know."

Inutaisho nodded benevolently, as though suddenly deciding that this would be a fair exchange, and Tora felt a mild sense of relief. He knew that Inutaisho was the type of man who would hold true to his word, though he was a little suspicious at the ease with which his terms were agreed to.

"I was approached nearly two years ago by a human man, a sorcerer of some type. He wished to ally himself with me because he knew I meant to destroy you. He said he was weary of your stranglehold on the west. I agreed to allow him access to some of my men for his purposes because he had demonstrated his ability to effectively control the body of another, to draw off of their power as much as enhance it. Unfortunately, he discovered too late that his ability to manipulate weakens as it is split into many different minds. That was the disaster that occurred at your home."

"And who is this man?" Inutaisho said with disturbing calm.

"His name is Ashrem. I am not surprised he decided to use the exterminator as a means to destroy you. You created her, did you not? Quite a predicament, Inutaisho," Tora mocked, feeling more confident.

"_Ashrem_," Inutaisho repeated, the name coming out like a curse.

Tora watched apprehensively as the youkai lord's claws curled up into fists, his expectance for survival waning as he watched the fury gather in his enemy's face. He fully expected to be killed then and there, but was pleasantly surprised when, instead, Inutaisho backed away from him, that easy, calm expression seizing him once more.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Tora."

Without further comment, the demon lord turned to leave, which prompted the still-securely-bound Tora to call after him. "Wait! You agreed to spare my life!"

Inutaisho turned then to regard him with a smug coldness. "_Are_ you deceased? I did spare your life. Perhaps you can work out a similar arrangement with the eastern and southern lords," he offered the option, tone scolding, as though speaking to an ill-mannered child. "You've made them _very_ angry, Tora."

* * *

Midoriko was thrilled to find that she eventually wore Sesshoumaru down enough for him to allow her to return to her village. He, of course, accompanied her like a white shadow. Her spirit buoyed as soon as she caught sight of the small clustering of wooden houses from high up on Kirara's back. A glimpse of the charred remains of her own house on the ground below her brought her mood down a bit, but the grin returned as soon as she caught sight of people inside the village walls pointing up at her approach.

Kirara swooped down into the village with her usual gracefulness, Sesshoumaru doing the same an instant later. The villagers regarded him hesitantly for a moment before settling their full attention on the returned Midoriko, who accepted their welcomes as well as their admonishments over her absence. She was practically knocked over by the force of Lia's embrace, and her ears rang with the sound of the young woman's voice as she immediately set about trying to inform Midoriko of every detail that had occurred during the days that she had been gone.

"You're here to stay now, right? We've all agreed that we will rebuild your house if that is your wish, but I wanted to speak with you first. I'd prefer that you live with Mama and I, but..."

"Lia," Midoriko laughed off the chattered plans, "surely we can discuss this indoors. It's cold out here."

"Oh, of course!" Lia blushed. "Come inside. Are you hungry? Mama's made plenty of her soup...Midoriko?"

Midoriko's attention trailed off when her eyes lit on a small circle of children playing with a ball not far away. They kicked it back and forth, squealing and laughing, apparently oblivious to the chill in the air. Feeling oddly disturbed, Midoriko looked around her at the adults who were either speaking amongst themselves now or watching the children play. A deep sense of dread filled Midoriko's heart, her attention finally diverted from the scene by Lia's insistent voice.

There was some rather obvious discomfort about Sesshoumaru's presence. Midoriko understood Lia's reticence about allowing a strange demon inside her home, but was glad to see that the memory of his attempt to save her husband was enough to cause her to move past that enough to graciously invite him inside. He looked distinctly out-of-place in the small house. It was thoroughly clean and organized, but the ragged nature of the objects within contrasted greatly with the gleaming perfection of Sesshoumaru's expensive-looking attire. He looked faintly ill at ease, as though he liked the idea of being in Lia's home about as much as she enjoyed him being there, but his manners were impeccable, if not more than a little frosty.

It was at Lia's table, steaming cups of tea set before them, that Midoriko finally explained a half-truth as to why she had not returned to the village. She revealed that her presence in the village was likely to provoke many more attacks now that the youkai population was sufficiently angry with her. She left out the distressing matter of the mind-control issue, not wishing to concern the more highly-strung Lia any more than was necessary. Midoriko let her believe that her house had been destroyed by a youkai as a response to her retaliation over Shijin's death.

"You know that we can help you, Midoriko. The exterminators all stand by what you did. We're proud of how powerful you've become. Trust us."

"I do, Lia," Midoriko began, "but..."

"The fact remains that she will be safer under my supervision. My father rules over the demons in these lands. That is a much more effective means of protection than a group of human exterminators," Sesshoumaru spoke up from where he stood near the door, tone lightly resting on the word 'exterminators' as though he was gifting them with such a title.

Lia was quick to reply to that, face politely empty. "You'll forgive our village, Sesshoumaru-sama, if we don't accept that easily."

"I will?" he mildly questioned her presumption. "I brought her here because she would not cease prattling about her desire to see you. She _will_ return with me."

"Please quit speaking about me as though I am not here," Midoriko demanded irritably. A headache was starting to throb deep inside her skull and their well-mannered bickering was only making it worse. "I can decide on my own...," she added, but stopped speaking as a familiar blinding flash went off behind her eyes. Her headache instantly tripled, hammering inside her head as her senses simultaneously warned of approaching danger.

Before she could even say anything, Sesshoumaru had wrenched open the door and stepped outside. She followed him, a knot of fear balling up in her stomach, expecting to find exactly what she saw. She was suddenly grateful that she had allowed him to convince her to carry her sword with her back to the village.

"There's a lot of them," she spoke as though asking him to verify it.

"Yes," he agreed lowly. "A horde of them. I cannot distinguish their individual scents."

Midoriko nodded, her eyes cast upward toward the dark, distantly billowing cloud that was coming in their direction. She looked around her at the villagers who were busily attending to their daily tasks. They had yet to notice what was approaching them. Finally forcing herself into action, Midoriko turned to Lia, who was standing behind them at the door.

"There will be a youkai attack. Please warn the exterminators," she ordered her friend.

Lia's eyes flickered fearfully up to the sky, squinting as though trying to make out the exact nature of the threat. Without another word, Midoriko ran from the house, hurtling down the road to the building where much of the spare exterminator weapons and gear were stored.

She shoved open the door and hurried inside, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the darkness. She noticed various pieces of armor lying carefully placed on a work bench and headed toward them. Sesshoumaru appeared at the doorway in time to watch her tie some shoulder guards in place, nervous fingers working nimbly, her pounding head focused entirely on the moment. She could not allow herself to think of what was coming toward them because doing so only brought on the _why_ of it all, and that was more guilt than she wanted to consider right then.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sesshoumaru asked her, frowning as she reached for yet another piece of armor. The demon-bone material made it heavy, but she would need all the help she could get if she was going to try to battle so many youkai at once.

"I'm going to fight them. They're coming here for me. If I leave the village to meet them, they won't have a reason to destroy it," she offered reasonably.

"You honestly believe you can wage a battle against so many? I credited you with more intelligence than that."

"Then what is it that _you_ propose, Sesshoumaru?" Midoriko asked angrily, whirling around to find him completely blocking the exit.

"I'll handle it," came the snapped reply.

"Today? And what about tomorrow? And the day after? Are you going to be my guardian for the rest of my life? Are you going to destroy the respect other youkai hold for you? For Inutaisho-sama? They'll call you a traitor. You _knew_ this was going to happen. You've warned me ever since the first day you came to show me how to use this sword. I created this, so let me finish it."

She moved to shove past him, but he gripped her arm and held her back, watched as defiant brown eyes locked on his face. "My _father _created this. All of it. Place the blame where it belongs."

"He can't see the future, Sesshoumaru," Midoriko said softly, her anger deflating. "He didn't know that I would be so irresponsible. If I had not disobeyed him, it wouldn't have come to this."

Sesshoumaru remained as solidly in place as a brick wall.

"Have some faith, my friend," she said, smiling for his benefit as she reached to wrap a hand around the wrist that held her back. "I will not lose. I promise."

"No, you won't," he agreed, finally shifting his stance to let her pass through the doorway. "Because I'll be fighting with you."

* * *

**That was a fun chapter to write. One more chapter and we'll move on to Rin. In the next one, I'll wrap things up with Midoriko and then kind of follow Sesshoumaru through the next 300 years. Chapter 10 will start with 16-year-old Rin and her exploits, as well as a reunification with her Sesshoumaru-sama!**

**To the Reviewers:**

_**Wingless Angel: **Wow, you almost cried! I'm honored…I'm also curious as to which part that was. Lol! The death, maybe? I know I get worked up while I'm writing, but that's because I get into the moment. ;) I promise the next chapter will come out sooner than this one. Hopefully even by Friday._

_**Aiwendil Amaurea:** I've never been called a beautiful storyteller before! Does a compliment get better than that? I don't think so. Thanks very much!_

_**Wildfire Dreams: **Thanks! I'm working hard on it. I hope you continue to enjoy._

_**Lastgapingbreath: **Oh, I didn't beat you to it! It's a Japanese proverb so anyone can use it…I don't own it, I swear. ;) It was in reference to Kikyou and Inuyasha, but it seemed pretty funny, so I incorporated it into the last chapter. _

_**Silver Spell: **Yeah, lack of reviews makes you wonder if you're doing a cruddy job, but as long as someone is interested in finding out what happens next, I'll keep doing chapters. Thanks for the compliment! As to Rin being Sesshy's girl…well, I'm more open to it than I used to be, I'll put it that way. ;) They're just so sweet together. Have you seen episodes 115 and 116? How adorable. He's all about that kid. Admit it, Sesshy! ;)_


	9. Midoriko's Last Battle

**Chapter Nine - Midoriko's Last Battle**

Just as she had predicted, the horde of demons diverted their course in order to match Midoriko's movements. She and Sesshoumaru stood together on the cold slush that was the ground, a frigid wind whipping past them, stinging Midoriko's eyes. She could not dismiss the feeling of foreboding that had accompanied her even now that she was safely at a distance from the village. At least she had finally convinced Kirara to stay inside the village and help protect it. Unlike Sesshoumaru, the cat had no magical sword to prevent her death should she accidentally find herself in range of one of Midoriko's attacks.

Surprised to see that her hand was very steady, Midoriko drew her sword and waited as her enemies approached from the west, an enormous conglomeration of youkai that was writhing and whirling like a storm. Sesshoumaru stood tensely beside her, radiating a ferocity that would have made Midoriko take a step back if she had not been assured that he was safely on her side. He was in a terribly foul mood.

He must have picked up on her nervousness because he attempted to give her some last minute advice. "Fight as though you have nothing to lose. Even your life can be returned," he assured her. "Don't be afraid. It will only interfere with your decisions."

She inhaled a deep steadying breath and nodded, smiling briefly at the instructions. "Is that how you face a battle, Sesshoumaru?"

"As a child, yes. That was advice that was once given to me by my father long ago."

"And now?"

"Until I meet my equal, I have nothing to fear," he answered with conceited certainty.

She nodded in agreement, but before she could reply, the steady pressure that had been building inside her skull demanded all of her attention and, for the second time in a conscious state, she heard the voice. The oncoming storm of youkai became background noise as her ears were filled with words that belonged to someone else.

_Are you prepared, Midoriko? I decided to make this simple. We'll destroy them one horde at a time, won't we?_

She inhaled a surprised breath at the words, looking wildly around as though expecting them to have come from someone standing beside her. The grip on her sword's hilt loosened, confidence waning, and she was suddenly highly aware of who was standing beside her, recalling what that foreign intruder had prompted her to try to do...

_Come now, don't fall apart on me. I can help you. You have to destroy them all, you know, or they will decimate your village. The exterminators cannot possibly handle the numbers of youkai that are approaching you._

"What is it?" Sesshoumaru asked suspiciously, his voice breaking into her distraction. His gaze had turned away from the coming enemy when he sensed her sudden discomfort, and now he was watching her with that feral intensity.

"It's..." Midoriko began breathlessly, but the voice inside her head spoke again and her throat constricted as though a hand had clamped around it, cutting off the words she had meant to say.

_Now is hardly the time, my dear. Focus on the task at hand. The dog can be attended to later._

_Get OUT! _her thoughts shrieked at him, feeling panicky. She felt her hand come up to her face, covering her eyes as though hopeful that blocking sight would force him away.

_Midoriko..._

_STOP! _The mental demand came with enough force to briefly loosen his grip, and it was then that she saw the image of a familiar face, a face that practically snarled its fury at her. As soon as his identity was revealed to her, it was swept away once more and Midoriko's frustration intensified. Her hand dropped back to her side, clenched into a tight fist, and she distantly heard Sesshoumaru speak again, but the words did not reach her.

_Stop struggling, you insolent wench!_

_You sent this horde, _she silently accused, eyes flickering upward once more to the demons that were careening toward her, a dark beacon being expelled from a gray sky.

_Obviously. And if you intend to survive, I suggest you cooperate._

_Bastard...I'll kill them...and you, _she swore.

_We shall see._

She gripped the hilt of her sword hard enough to bruise her palm, clinging to it like her savior even though she was just as convinced that it could easily become the opposite. "Sesshoumaru," she finally spoke through clenched teeth, avoiding eye contact with the demon who was lingering, eyeing her as though convinced she was about to have some manner of breakdown. "Let's make this quick."

* * *

The sprawling temple that served as Ashrem's home stood starkly silent when Inutaisho arrived. Not even the barest hint of wind circulated, almost as though in fear of the vengeful youkai lord that had appeared so suddenly in its midst. Despite the stillness of the place, Inutaisho was certain Ashrem was here. The entire area reeked of him, and he intended to find him.

With purposeful strides, he ascended the stairs that led into the building, following the scent of the man he was about to render into a corpse. He passed several small, empty rooms; the whole place giving off a closed, unused feel. The place smelled of incense and strange herbs, strongly enough that it interfered with his sense of smell, but it did not hinder him in locating his target.

He found Ashrem kneeling on the floor of a dark room, which appeared to house some sort of shrine. A large statue loomed in front of him, apparently meant to appear vicious so as to invoke a sense of awe and fear in its worshippers. But, unfortunately for Ashrem, there was not nearly enough divine protection in this room to save him.

Inutaisho's sudden appearance apparently alarmed Ashrem, who glanced up quickly at his unexpected arrival. A mixture of fear and anger contorted his features into something barely recognizable. The man's muscles were coiled stiffly and he was sweating profusely, as though struggling with something internally. Inutaisho had an idea of what that meant, and he felt a small unbidden smile cross his face, malicious and mocking.

"And so the puppet master continues to pull the strings. I am here to cut them, Ashrem," the demon lord informed him, flexing his claws. He would not dirty his sword with the filth that was this creature.

Looking distinctly nervous, but making a valiant attempt at projecting an air of confidence, Ashrem replied, "If you attempt to harm me, I will have to draw on her powers to save myself. Would you want to be responsible for her death? That would, after all, distract her from her battle."

"Battle?" Inutaisho inquired with distant curiosity.

"Yes. It seems a horde of very angry demons has come to retaliate against her. But, then, it was bound to happen sooner or later, correct? All because of your interference."

"Then it seems as though I would be doing Midoriko a great service by killing you now, correcting a mistake. I find it difficult to believe that it is easier for her to see to destroying her assailants with you cowering inside of her head."

Ashrem gave him a pained smile. "Inutaisho, just as I can draw from her power, I can lend her my own. With my aid, she will survive this fight and continue on to another." Almost as an afterthought, he carefully added, "Your son is there as well, you know."

"Is he?" Inutaisho replied coolly, eyes flickering lazily about the dark room. "Hardly surprising. Sesshoumaru thrives on conflict."

"I assume that you have a vested interest in his survival. That is why I ask you to leave now. If you do not, I will be glad to turn Midoriko's sword on him. As you surely have heard, she came very close to killing him just a few nights ago. I will be more than happy to see that she finishes the matter today."

Ashrem expected an enraged retort or even an assault at his words, but Inutaisho shocked him utterly by laughing outright, arms crossing in casual amusement, as though Ashrem's death was a foregone conclusion and could be brought about at his whim.

"Ashrem, you cannot kill my son," Inutaisho assured him in a tone that still hinted at suppressed laughter. In his mind's eye, he could see the expression on Sesshoumaru's face when this bit of conversation was relayed to him; the very idea that a human felt secure enough to threaten him would probably sound just as audacious to the boy. Sesshoumaru had never been one to suffer from lack of self-confidence, and Inutaisho's own certainty was backed up by Toutousai's genius in sword-form: Tenseiga.

"Are you so certain of that?" Ashrem asked, sure that the demon lord must be bluffing, but he did indeed look thoroughly unconcerned. What being could not be killed by _something_? Purification was an instant means to an end for any youkai, depending on the amount of strength behind it.

"Absolutely," Inutaisho answered, his amusement fading into something more grim. "He will walk away from his battle. You, on the other hand, will not walk away from yours."

With a movement that registered as little more than a blur to the eye, Inutaisho rushed at Ashrem, clawing at him with a ferocity that the human was barely able to repel. Inutaisho stepped back, eyes narrowed as his claws made contact with a swirling purple barrier, fingers stinging from the collision. It encapsulated the kneeling Ashrem who looked up at his attacker with an expression of triumph.

"As I warned you, I am fully capable of using her abilities now that she is under my control."

"Then you had better keep the girl alive, Ashrem. If she dies, your shield falls and so will you," Inutaisho reminded him.

"You will be waiting for a long time, demon. I can keep this up for as long as it takes," Ashrem answered nervously, looking slightly desperate.

Inutaisho's face lowered toward Ashrem's until they were separated only by that barrier, eyes sparking with deadly intent. "I have _all_ the time in the world."

* * *

Confusion and chaos reigned on the battlefield around Midoriko. Demons fell before she realized that she had struck them. Her arm made movements that were not her command, each attack carefully and skillfully manipulated by another. All the while the sickening pressure inside her head grew, finally sweeping down to envelop her entire body, causing her muscles to scream in pain. Somewhere nearby, Sesshoumaru's glowing whip attack was cracking viciously, mangling his opponents into pieces. It was difficult to keep track of him amidst the menagerie of youkai.

Her head suddenly cleared with a swiftness that made her feel unsteady, but she quickly regained her footing and took control of her own movements. In her head, she swore she could hear another voice, a low dangerous growl whose exact words she could not make out. The screeching of dying youkai filled her ears and the nauseating smell of dismembered body parts invaded her nose. The ground beneath her had quickly turned from muddy slush to a gory red slurry that was proving to be even slicker to negotiate.

Taking advantage of having regained control of her own mobility once more, Midoriko doubled her efforts, cutting down the snarling, snapping youkai one after another. Thoughts of the nearby village that was tensely awaiting its own battle swirled through her racing mind and she realized that victory was essential. These creatures would not spare anyone, which made it all the more imperative that she not give them a chance to get past her.

While in the midst of purifying a hissing bat demon, Midoriko felt a sudden pull, like a river current tugging at her. It intensified and, to her horror, she felt the barrier that had been protecting her back weaken badly. It felt as if something was sucking away at her, draining the energy from the inside out, and she knew she would not last long without something to keep them from charging her on all sides. With a great retaliating pull, Midoriko summoned enough of her powers to restore the protective barrier, the effort wearying her even further. The voice returned then, screeching its panic.

_KILL THEM! All of them! Now!_

_GET OUT!_

_DO IT! Do you _want_ to die!_

For the briefest instant, the image of Inutaisho impatiently circling someone came into focus, as though she was watching from the point of view of the one he was stalking. The realization that the demon lord had somehow discovered the identity of their enemy cheered her greatly. That meant this would all end soon. With her attacker preoccupied by his own impending death, Midoriko decided that now would be a good chance to force his assistance.

Muscles shaking from swiftly waning energy, she released her sword and dropped to her knees, sweeping up a protective cocoon of energy around her form. Her attackers bounded off of the barrier from all sides, unable to reach her and receiving a nasty shock for attempting to do so. Concentrating as much as she could from within a cage of screaming, enraged youkai, she pulled violently against the vague presence in her mind, intent on loosening his grip on her now that his focus was split.

Instantly a cacophony of curses filled her head and she could feel the distant, ghostly rake of claws against skin, smug gratification seizing her heart. The invader fought back, attempting to reassert his control, desperate to save himself, but his attention was diverted elsewhere. It was only fitting that he die at the hands of the western lord after having been used for all he was worth to save her and her village.

Exhausted beyond reason, Midoriko grasped her sword once more. She struggled back to her feet, breathing quickly, and dropped the barrier. Almost instantly, the enormous clawed hand of a dragon demon wrapped around her and lifted her from the ground with a speed so dizzying that the sky twirled overhead, grey and ghastly from all the expended youki.

Time slowed to a standstill. Her sword throbbed insistently. The demon snarled at her, saliva dripping from its sharp white fangs, claws tightening to a painful crush. Midoriko swiveled her head to look beyond the demons crowding around her. Not far away she could see a gigantic white dog, swiping and clawing in a rage. _He's wearing Tenseiga_, she reminded herself. _He'll survive._

Sinking within herself, she summoned the last vestiges of her strength, and, with a sense of desperation, drew on the powers of the one who, though in another place, was connected to her even as she could see his looming death at the hands of Inutaisho. Closing her eyes, Midoriko felt an agonizing pain gather in her chest, as though her heart was constricting, seized, struggling...

An explosion of a magnitude violent enough to level the buildings inside the village over a mile away came from within the girl who had become the greatest of the demon exterminators. It flash-sealed the remains of the demon horde, utterly destroying the valley in which they had been fighting.

Sesshoumaru was blinded by the sudden, unexpected light. The force of the blast rushed toward him, accompanied by a purifying energy that paled against anything he had seen her expel before. He felt the fringes of it lick hungrily at him, that demonic aura that was essential to his survival, but just as it collided with him, Tenseiga sensed the coming death of its master and pulled him unwillingly away.

Within the home of Ashrem, Inutaisho hovered over the bleeding body of his enemy, prepared to end the creature's pitiful existence. He had no clear idea of exactly what Midoriko had done but was sure it had been she who had successfully extracted the barrier from her attacker, effectively pulling the rug out from under him. Inutaisho had seized that opportunity to attack.

Ashrem's black eyes glittered hatefully up at him. He made an effort to speak, but before words could be uttered, a strange white light shot out from the man's body. Inutaisho watched in astonishment as the human was literally turned to stone right before his eyes, frozen in an expression of agony that he was fairly certain had come from a source other than the wounds he had inflicted.

He stepped away, silent, leaving the place as the tomb it now was. Satisfied that the end of Ashrem's existence had been secured, Inutaisho went to find his son.

* * *

A searing ache that infiltrated every nerve and bone within his body was the first thing Sesshoumaru woke to. He cursed his demon senses for kicking back in before he had healed further, more than willing to keep sleeping off whatever the _hell_ this was. Those instincts were meant to serve as a warning to preserve his life, but he recognized the scent of his father almost as quickly as consciousness returned, and knew that no threat was presenting itself. And so, instead, he focused on resenting them _and_ the man that had provoked them into waking him.

"Sesshoumaru?" Inutaisho's calm voice called in an effort to rouse him, and the resentment doubled.

Fading orange sunlight flickered down from the melted treetops, a glaring welcome as his eyes opened. An incessant dripping of water on his face from the branches only increased his annoyance, as did that damnable, overly cheerful bird that kept chirping somewhere overhead. Inutaisho's face hovered in his field of vision then, eyes questioning, and Sesshoumaru forced his protesting muscles to move, pulling himself to a seated position.

"Perhaps now you see why I prefer that you carry that sword?" Inutaisho admonished.

_Sword?_ Sesshoumaru wondered. _Tenseiga_... Immediately the memories of the battle from which he had been removed came to mind. He recalled seeing Midoriko assaulted by a dragon demon...and…a flash of light so intense that even the remembrance made him blink. He turned a displeased stare on his father, and grumbled a low response. "Don't think that this validates your paranoia, Father."

His pounding head continued to sort through his disjointed thoughts, and the memory of that flash burned the backs of his eyelids again. Tenseiga had pulled him away...which meant that Midoriko must have used enough power to destroy all of the demons around her. Knowing the girl, she was likely frantic that she had finally managed to kill him, and he wearily prepared himself for a looming hysterical scene.

"Where am I?" he finally asked as he rose less-than-gracefully to his feet, Inutaisho rising with him from where he had been kneeling on the slushy ground. Whatever that girl had done, Sesshoumaru thought as he extended stiff fingers, he sure as _hell _was never going to train with her again.

"Tenseiga must have been very distressed," Inutaisho commented in a subdued voice as he eyed the disheveled Sesshoumaru. "It dropped you close to the northern boundary. I didn't even know it was capable of such a distance."

Surprised at this, Sesshoumaru glanced upward, eyeing the setting sun and feeling a renewed sense of disorientation. _Have I been here all I day? _he wondered as he worked to flex the ache out of sore muscles. "How did you know I was at the village?"

Inutaisho appeared displeased as he explained, "Tora revealed to me that the one who was controlling Midoriko was Ashrem ---"

"Ashrem!" Sesshoumaru exclaimed furiously, face darkening with anger as he whirled to face his father fully. "Then am I to assume the bastard is already maggot-ridden?" he questioned, sounding half-expectant, half-disappointed.

"In a manner of speaking," Inutaisho agreed solemnly as Sesshoumaru's stormy expression diverted, pulling twigs and various debris form his hair with fastidious precision. "Whatever Midoriko did during that battle ended Ashrem's life as well. He was…sealed, I suppose."

"That's impossible. He's human," Sesshoumaru reminded him, looking up briefly from dusting himself off.

"It's as unlikely as an average village girl acquiring powers of enough strength to annihilate a horde of demons, but I assure you, I was present when it happened." Inutaisho paused then before continuing in a more reserved tone. "I've been to the exterminators' village, Sesshoumaru. I went there in search of you and Midoriko. It has been leveled."

"Leveled?" Sesshoumaru repeated. "By the demons?"

"By the explosion she created. The villagers survived, but they'll need to rebuild everything."

"They probably shouldn't bother," Sesshoumaru replied carelessly, making an attempt to brush some of the dried mud from his arms and clothes. "Now that she's managed to destroy that horde of demons, I do not doubt that even greater youkai will seek to kill her."

Inutaisho's expression saddened some at that as he delicately began the task of delivering unpleasant news. "There's no need for them to attack her further, Sesshoumaru."

Sudden awareness caused Sesshoumaru to fix his father with a wary stare. "She's dead," he finally voiced the meaning behind the words.

"Yes."

"Then Tenseiga can make itself useful twice in one day," Sesshoumaru answered in the same resentful tone he always used when speaking of that sword, attempting to use his senses to judge the direction of the village. But his father must have been right about the sheer distance that now separated him from that accursed human hovel, because sense of smell was proving to be useless.

"Tenseiga will not work," Inutaisho spoke then with quiet certainty, watching as his son turned a glare of unholy frustration on him.

"What are you talking about? How long have I been _lying_ out here?" Sesshoumaru demanded irritably. A disturbing feeling was beginning to coalesce in the pit of his stomach, a chill that had nothing to do with the melting slush of snow and mud he had been lying in, and he found himself already mentally assigning blame, most especially on that wretched sword that had forced him to make such a cowardly exit.

"Most of the day," Inutaisho answered the rough question, appearing troubled. "It's nearly sunset. The battle occurred this morning. That girl sealed herself, Sesshoumaru…along with Ashrem and the youkai. I can't explain it, but I believe she found herself overwhelmed and did what she had to do to..." and then he stopped, the sentence breaking off as Sesshoumaru abruptly walked away.

* * *

His father had understated the amount of damage that had been done to the area surrounding the village. The village itself was little more than a pile of lumber and somber inhabitants. By the time Sesshoumaru arrived, they were already working to restore a few of the buildings in order to give themselves some form of shelter. Never had they seen anything like this destruction. Nor, for that matter, had Sesshoumaru.

When he returned to the valley in which the battle had occurred, it was easy to locate the epicenter of the blast. The trees that had ringed the field that morning now lay tossed aside like sticks of firewood. The icy slush on the ground was gone, revealing a circle in which there was nothing but mud and dislodged rock. Even now, many hours later, the hair on his arms stood on end, his skin burning faintly from the residual energy that lingered in the air along with the scent of dead youkai. But what drew his attention most was the large cave-like hole that had been blown into the hillside, a gaping maw that beckoned at him until he obeyed.

Feet sliding through the sea of mud, Sesshoumaru made his way closer to the cave. At the entrance he could see that the 'rock' was not rock at all, but the petrified remains of countless youkai. Here and there a claw was visible...a wing...a foot. He continued inside, the presence of purifying energy growing stronger with every single step.

It was at the end of the cave that he found what his father had warned of. Midoriko, like the demons around her, was frozen in the last instant of her life, eyes closed, appearing almost peaceful despite the violence that had brought her to that state. It was surreal to see her in such a way, a statue instead of a living, breathing woman. With movements he barely registered, his hand clasped the hilt of Tenseiga and drew it, the metallic sliding of the blade against the sheath the only sound to break the impenetrable quiet that had settled over everything.

As he stood there clutching Tenseiga, he felt the all-too-familiar silence coming from the sword and knew that his father had been correct. It would not revive her. Something in him wondered if the reason was within _him_; perhaps it took a different sort of heart to make it respond. Inutaisho's benevolence was well-established and it seemed to answer_ that _man's every whim.

A sudden burst of anger expressed itself through a vicious swing that, as he had known it would, did nothing but disturb the dust. Feeling weary and defeated he gazed up at her. _Does she know? _he wondered. _Is she aware that she is gone? Did she move on to the afterlife that her kind are so desperate to believe in? Or is she still here somehow, lingering?_

She was caught in that strange demon embrace, looking every inch the warrior that she really had not been. She had won, as she had promised she would, but not in the way she had expected. He wondered if she had known what she was doing when she executed that final attack…and he could not help but feel guilt at the fact that, despite his presence, she had been forced to do it in an attempt to defend herself.

His eyes roved away from her face, lower, and he frowned as something struck him oddly. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a hole in her chest, a hole that had been shot through even the armor she wore and yet...it appeared less an injury and more as though something had been...expelled.

_What did she do?_ he wondered.

"I believe that is the reason why she cannot be revived," Inutaisho's voice came quietly from behind him, almost reverently, speaking of what had riveted his son's attention. "A small jewel-like object was found at the mouth of the cave. Her village's priest has it in his keeping for the moment. He believes it is her heart, expelled from her body in crystallized form. And I agree with him."

"What nonsense are you speaking?" Sesshoumaru snapped.

Inutaisho came closer, stopping to stand next to Sesshoumaru, gazing up at the imposing conglomeration of youkai and their exterminator. "She could not purify them all, Sesshoumaru. She simply was not strong enough. I believe it was her desperation that ended this battle. She struck out at them and sealed every one of these youkai into that jewel. And herself along with them, though I sincerely doubt that was her intention."

"You are saying that she is trapped inside this jewel you speak of? And if we destroy it?" Sesshoumaru asked quickly.

Inutaisho's silvery head shook slowly back and forth, reminding Sesshoumaru of one of his childhood lessons. "You cannot destroy energy, and even if you could, I doubt she would allow you to."

"_Allow_ me? I...," began the affronted reply, but he was stopped when his father interrupted him.

"This battle has not ended, Sesshoumaru. It continues inside that jewel. Just being near it, I can sense that same power that emanated from her. It alone will be enough to draw youkai to attack. I have already warned the head of the village to be prepared. As long as the jewel is in their possession, they will continually be under assault."

"And the sword? Where is it?"

"I do not know," Inutaisho admitted, eyes lowering to scan the cave, as though expecting the weapon to be lying about. "I assume that it lies buried somewhere within this mass of demons."

"And so that is it? We leave her like this?" Sesshoumaru asked tensely, waving a hand to encompass the cave. "This is hardly a fitting grave."

"There is nothing to bury, Sesshoumaru, as you can see."

Sesshoumaru was silent for a moment before he finally nodded his agreement, his expression suddenly disturbingly cool. "Yes. Perhaps now you will stop your incessant meddling in human affairs, Father," came the accusation as golden eyes rounded on Inutaisho, unblinking. "I think it is safe to say that if not for your interference, that girl would be alive now instead of trapped in an eternal battle with her enemies."

Inutaisho was taken aback by the fierceness of Sesshoumaru's words, though his expression did not falter. "I meant no harm to come to her," he replied honestly. "She did not heed my warning and became too aggressive."

"And I tell you as I told her...it was _you_ who caused this. Bear your responsibility, Father, as I will mine," Sesshoumaru said scathingly, detaching Tenseiga from his side with a furious motion. Wordlessly, he shoved it into his father's hands before turning to abandon the cave.

And as the sky continued to darken to a dusky orange around him, Sesshoumaru separated himself from that cursed village, from that disgusting stench. Never had he felt such a surge of guilt and remorse...emotions that he was unaccustomed to encountering. As he roamed in a thoughtless direction, the wind assaulted him once more with the sickening scent of death, and Sesshoumaru realized that what he had said to his father had been fair and accurate. Somewhere along the way, despite oddly benevolent intentions, they had failed her.

* * *

It was strange, accustoming himself to the lack of Midoriko's existence. Every aspect of her vanished from his life in as unwelcome and unexpected a manner as she had entered it. Sesshoumaru was accustomed to death; he handed it out fairly liberally to those who opposed him, but never before had he found himself disturbed by someone's loss. How odd that a human girl would be the first.

When Sesshoumaru went to confront Rouyakan about the fact that it had been demons from _his_ forest that had been involved in the battle, he had not listened to the creature's quickly stammered apologies nor his attempt to explain what precisely had provoked the attack. Instead, he had cut the youkai down with grim satisfaction. Fortunately for Rouyakan, Inutaisho was more charitable about the forest guardian's involvement and restored his life.

Sesshoumaru continued as he always had, wandering his father's lands, keeping order or reinstating it when someone dared to rise against them; following his father's orders, sometimes grudgingly, sometimes willingly. The cursed cat demons eventually recovered from having aligned themselves with Tora's tiger youkai and resumed their encroachment on Inutaisho's lands. Sesshoumaru was glad to have his mind back on matters such as this, problems that could be solved simply by extracting the life from an enemy. Violence was a pure and uncomplicated way to settle a matter.

He did not approach the village in the years after Midoriko's death, but did hear rumors of continued attacks as youkai attempted to steal what the villagers reverently referred to as the "Shikon no Tama." Legends grew up around Midoriko's final battle, stories that were expanded upon until only the vaguest hints of truth remained. As grandparents retold the tale to the young ones in the town, the battle that had been fought by a village girl and her demon ally in less than the space of an hour became an account of a war that had lasted for seven long days before the great miko Midoriko sacrificed her life for her village. Never mind that the girl had not been a priestess or that she had likely not intended to kill herself in the process of protecting that wretched little town.

As for the rumors of the Shikon no Tama's mysterious powers, Sesshoumaru was not certain as to whether he believed them. It was more comfortable to think that Midoriko was simply gone and that her soul had moved on, not that it could possibly be trapped inside some strange jewel along with her mortal enemies. As time passed, he decided that his father's explanation was yet another example of Inutaisho's tendency toward unneccessarily complicating things. His version of the story was more dramatic, but Sesshoumaru's certainty that the "Shikon no Tama" was simply an empty shell possessing lingering magical properties from its creator was more sensible.

As the years passed and he realized that by this time, the human Midoriko would likely have been dead of old age, Sesshoumaru resolved to push the girl from his mind. He was weary of second-guessing, wondering if he should have done something differently, cursing himself for becoming personally involved in the fate of a human in the first place. Never again would that happen. It brought nothing but grief to both the human and demon involved. Why invest one's self in something so impermanent?

It was during these years of bitter debate that he happened across the Nusashino Fields, inhabited by a race of cowardly toad youkai that generally kept to themselves in order to prevent their extinction at the hands of more powerful demons. Sesshoumaru had found his way blocked by a battle in which the toad youkai were being soundly defeated. Bored by the affair and ready to be on his way, he quickly clawed apart the attacking demon and, in the process, inadvertently saved the life of one of the toad creatures.

In this way, the groveling, anxious-to-please Jaken came into his master's service. Sesshoumaru decided to at least make his new minion useful and allowed him to wield the Staff of Heads, a strange weapon that had been passed within Sesshoumaru's family for uncountable generations. Jaken declared himself indebted to Sesshoumaru for saving his life and followed him everywhere, revering his master with an obnoxiousness that rivaled even Inutaisho's vassal, Myouga. Still, there was something vaguely amusing about the little toad who practically worshipped every word or deed that came from Sesshoumaru.

Years morphed into decades, and Sesshoumaru and his father became more and more at odds with one another. As he grew older, Inutaisho remained nearly unchanged, physically, but internally, he became more "settled", liberal about matters that Sesshoumaru considered to be serious and worthy of their attention. It often fell to him to take care of such issues and he could not deny his growing resentment over the idea that he was merely doing the work his father felt himself to be above. Rationally, he knew that it was more likely that Inutaisho trusted his realm in the hands of his son and thus did not feel the need to involve himself in every matter that arose. In any case, tensions between them reached a greater height than ever before.

Their lives visibly diverged, Sesshoumaru taking on a more active role, while Inutaisho faded some into the background. Sesshoumaru could not decide whether it was purposeful, a loosening of the reins he had always felt were choking him, a way for Inutaisho to see what Sesshoumaru would do with such power. Or, perhaps, it merely allotted him the free time to pursue endeavors of which Sesshoumaru heartily disapproved, most of them human-related.

Sesshoumaru grew unhappier with Inutaisho when the taiyoukai allowed himself to become enamored with yet another human female. Unlike the quick romantic trysts Inutaisho had encountered with humans before, for Izayoi, he displayed an unswerving fidelity. Sesshoumaru would almost have been glad to see his father alternate between other human women if it meant that he would not focus so intently on this _one_. Under no circumstances was it proper for a demon lord to choose a human for a mate, and Sesshoumaru feared that this was indeed the path his father was following. Nothing good could come of it, and he expressed that vocally and repeatedly, a dissatisfaction that fell on deaf ears.

To his great dismay, he quickly found that he was correct. Sesshoumaru was thoroughly disgusted when he learned that Izayoi was expecting a child, a hanyou who would certainly be his father's disgrace for many years to come. Worst of all, Inutaisho seemed almost pleased by the coming birth, though he did admit that the child would no doubt encounter a much more difficult adjustment to life than if he were born a full demon or even a human. Thoroughly blinded by his love for Izayoi, Inutaisho refused to admit that perhaps a mistake had been made. Many inflamed arguments ensued between Sesshoumaru and his father over the unborn child and its eventual position within the family. Sesshoumaru accused his father of having thoroughly shamed them all, which had instigated an argument that had practically come to blows.

As would be a habit in the years to come, the child made his first appearance in the world loudly, brashly, and late. Sesshoumaru was astounded to find that Inutaisho had the nerve to name the boy Inuyasha---_Dog Spirit_---a blatant statement to the youkai population if ever there was one. Sesshoumaru was certain that word of this child's existence would provoke instability, and he was correct. He quickly found himself busy dealing with the political repercussions of the western lord's irresponsibility, and his resentment grew even more pronounced. He found something blatantly unfair in his having to defend the west against the birth of a meaningless half-brother; angry at having to waste his time on such a tedious matter. It made him more certain that life would greatly improve for the rest of them if only Inuyasha would cease to exist.

After Inuyasha's birth, Izayoi made many attempts to bring Sesshoumaru into their family, which were resoundingly refused. He was uncomfortable around the woman and did not enjoy being in her home or her presence. He held her responsible for the new difficulties in his life; silently cursed her every time she would smile sweetly at him or offer a kind welcome. He wanted _nothing_ from her except for the blessing that would be her bundling up the hideous creature she had created and permanently leaving his sight. On the rare occasions when he would attempt to see his father in order to discuss a matter that could not be avoided, he was stiffly polite to Izayoi but never regarded her with warmth. He would be damned if he would promote the appearance that he approved of or even accepted the situation his father had created.

The living embodiment of his father's indiscretion grew so rapidly that Sesshoumaru was taken aback every time he would see Inuyasha...one moment a wailing, demanding infant...the next instant a crawling source of constant terror for his mother...and then a full-fledged brat, a dog-eared pup who would run out to greet him with all the innocent acceptance of a child. Sesshoumaru doubted Inuyasha would be so happy to see him if he understood the conflict that existed between his father and older brother; or, most especially, if he could see exactly what his _"Aniki" _really thought of him.

There could be no argument as to the source of the boy's demon ancestry, however. It was disturbing how much he resembled Inutaisho and even Sesshoumaru himself. Because of his diluted blood, Inuyasha did not possess the markings of his patriarch, and the undignified canine ears sprouting out from the child's head left little doubt as to the other half that had created him.

As Sesshoumaru had predicted, Inutaisho's most despised enemies took Inuyasha's birth as an excuse to attack, and so life around the hanyou child was rarely very peaceful. Inutaisho was forced to lurk near his fragile family more and more often, and as Sesshoumaru saw this happening, he reminded himself that _this_ was why a youkai lord was not allowed such weakness. They were forced to choose, to give something up, either their status or the hanyou creations that provoked the conflict. Fortunately for Inutaisho, his elder son was full-demon, grown to adulthood, and more than adept at aiding in defense of the west, which allowed him the luxury of becoming Izayoi and Inuyasha's omnipresent guardian.

The constantly-embattled Inutaisho was finally forced to retire his old sword, which was shattered into uselessness during one particularly nasty fight. Upon hearing this, Sesshoumaru offered the return of Tenseiga. The sword had hung uselessly at his side for a century and it seemed to him that Inutaisho would likely find himself in need of it if he meant to ensure that the reckless Inuyasha grew to adulthood. He was surprised when his father refused it, insisting that the sword remain with his eldest son. Sesshoumaru wryly accused him of paranoia yet again.

Toutousai refused to repair Inutaisho's old weapon and, instead, forged a sister sword to the Tenseiga as it, too, was created from one of the western lord's fangs. Sesshoumaru found himself greatly interested in this new sword, for he was told by his father that it was far more powerful than the old one; it was capable of destroying a hundred demons with a single swing. Sesshoumaru had long coveted his father's shattered sword, but _this_ sword, this Tessaiga, would be an even greater inheritance.

And as typically happened with his father's more "selfless" choices, Sesshoumaru would quickly come to regret Inutaisho's decision not to accept the offer of Tenseiga's return. It was not long after Inutaisho asked him to retain the sword that word came to Sesshoumaru of his father's death. During his successful effort to seal Ryuukotsusei, Inutaisho was dealt what would prove to be a mortal wound and Sesshoumaru, having been informed of this nearly a week later, was unable to arrive in time to revive his father.

Venting his frustration and grief on Izayoi had not been nearly satisfying enough. Sesshoumaru had laid the burden of Inutaisho's death at her feet and, when she had been unable to tell him the location of either the grave or Tessaiga, relied on his restraint to keep from killing the worthless woman. Inuyasha, though still a ridiculously small child, had had the gall to try to stand up to his brother during the argument. The brat had inherited their father's stubborn nature, but not the skills to back it up and Sesshoumaru did not doubt that he would soon be hearing of the hanyou's demise now that his great protector was gone.

It was not Inuyasha who would meet death next, however, but his frail human mother. Again, the news reached Sesshoumaru too late for Tenseiga to be of any use. His dislike for Izayoi had not lessened in the year since his father's death, but he _would_ have revived her. The hanyou child was now orphaned, something that Sesshoumaru would have corrected if he could have brought the woman back to the living; not because he particularly gave a damn about the boy, but because that woman _owed_ it to them all to devote her life to the difficulties of raising that ill-conceived creature, a penalty for her weakness.

It was said that she had asked to see him before her death, and though he was unsure as to whether he would have actually heeded her summons, he knew precisely what she would have asked of him and he was unwilling to do it. It was not his place to raise Inuyasha. He was lord of the western lands now and _that _was what he intended to see to, not the welfare of a half-breed brat. The boy remained in the village following his mother's death and Sesshoumaru decided it would be better for him to learn to exist among humans. His place was not with youkai, certainly.

The years roamed with him, and Sesshoumaru continued to devote himself to securing the west. Thoughts of Inuyasha rarely entered his mind, but when they did he wondered if the hanyou had ever discovered the location of their father's grave. Tessaiga, the sword Sesshoumaru had expected as an inheritance, had apparently been buried with Inutaisho, and something in him wondered if that had been _purposeful_, a request from Inutaisho at the end. His father had always been displeased with Sesshoumaru's lack of compassion and tendency toward violence, and it was that that made him wonder if the sword was actually being hidden from him.

Sesshoumaru would have taken great pleasure in dismembering Myouga and would do so if he ever encountered the flea again. The duty of seeing to the burial of his father should have fallen to him.

The past and present collided in a disconcerting manner when Sesshoumaru learned that the Shikon no Tama, the jewel the humans credited as having been inadvertently formed by Midoriko, fell under the protection of a human miko. Inuyasha crossed this woman's path and developed deep feelings for her, feelings that weakened him enough to get himself staked to a tree, sealed for eternity by the woman that had betrayed him. This did not surprise Sesshoumaru overly much. Inuyasha had always been ruled by his heart rather than his head, a pitifully suitable end.

During a lull in which the western lands remained peacefully under his control, Sesshoumaru resumed his search for Inutaisho's grave. A cryptic message from one of his father's oldest friends had suggested that the Staff of Heads would be able to lead him to the proper place. Sesshoumaru and Jaken's excursion had, to his supreme annoyance, resulted in Tessaiga falling into the possession of his brother. Recently unsealed by the miko's rumored reincarnation, Inuyasha had been more than willing to fight over the weapon. It angered Sesshoumaru greatly that the sword remained with Inuyasha, but he could not help but wonder what it was in _himself _that had caused his father to go to such great lengths to keep its location protected from him, to even have a barrier placed around the sword to make certain that no full-blood demon, not even Sesshoumaru, would be able to touch it.

In life, Sesshoumaru had been certain that Inutaisho had been fiercely proud of him; perhaps a little disappointed in what he viewed as his son's shortcomings, but pleased with him nonetheless. The reality of the failed reclamation of Tessaiga had been like a slap in the face, a humiliation, an insult hurled from beyond the grave. It had an effect on Sesshoumaru that he was certain his father had not intended; it had made him angrier, more resentful; had hardened him into something betrayed and thus less forgiving. It made his hatred for his brother reach epic proportions, spurred by jealousy and a pent-up rage that could not be expelled at its true target. These centuries of hard work, careful study, and concentrated effort had been capped off by Inutaisho's last act: gifting the _hanyou_ with the sword, the one who worked for nothing, lived for nothing, existed for no purpose. The true heir had been left with only a worthless healing sword, a mocking reminder of all those admonitions to be kinder in what he did.

Sesshoumaru began to ignore his duties regarding the west, only bothering to intercede on the rare occasion that something piqued his interest. He realized that this lax effort, this neglect of what his father had left to him was his own retaliation, a vengeful, silent response to that snub, punishment for the people and the land his father had loved, since Inutaisho himself was not present to listen to his eldest son's rage in vocal form.

Despite his father's wishes (or perhaps _because_ of them?), Sesshoumaru's pride demanded that Tessaiga fall under his control. A hanyou was not worthy of such a weapon, particularly not the arrogant, childish Inuyasha who had no idea as to how to wield it properly. It was Sesshoumaru's misfortune to have been in the process of attempting to reclaim the weapon when Inuyasha finally did discover the Kaze no Kizu. Again, Tenseiga had found it necessary to pull its master out of battle, an action that had saved Sesshoumaru's life and, inadvertently, brought yet another human girl into his path.

Rin. The human child who had so audaciously believed that she could be of service in helping him heal from his disastrous battle with Inuyasha. She had repeatedly brought him different foods and he had dismissed her attempts at aid each and every time. Still, there had been something about her...something that reminded him of another human girl long dead. It was perhaps her persistence in helping him, or maybe her lack of fear…he could not place it, but there was something about the girl's spirit that reminded him of Midoriko. It would take years for him to understand that she was precisely the distraction he had needed.

When the wolves hunted her down on the path she had often taken to see him, Sesshoumaru had been quick to respond to Tenseiga's insistence and revived the child. He attributed the act to the sword's demand, but was aware that it had likely been his desire to save her that had instigated it. And so, the small, mute, and thoroughly dirty little girl fell under his care, much to Jaken's chagrin. The toad was often a source of play and amusement for Rin, who was quick to find her voice again despite the fact that she likely could not have found two more silent companions with which to travel. Sesshoumaru could not help but see the subtle humor in the fact that, even though he had often criticized Inutaisho for collecting his 'pets', Sesshoumaru now found himself doing the same. It seemed that no matter how different he and his father had been, Inutaisho had left an indelible mark on his eldest son.

Rin's presence changed Sesshoumaru; he found that, again, he desired greatly to ensure the continued survival of a human girl. The hanyou Naraku's nefarious plotting and blatant attempt to test Sesshoumaru by targeting Rin had served to reinforce the fact that he regarded her as 'his', and it was a matter of reflex to seek the destruction of one who challenged that possession. That Naraku meant to secure his power with the Shikon no Tama captured drifting attention as well, and Sesshoumaru found himself counted amongst a growing group of people who sought to kill him. Sesshoumaru was still not thoroughly convinced as to the validity of the jewel's origins, but he could not dispute its powers. It did not belong in the hands of one such as Naraku, particularly so if his father had been correct in telling him that it had been created by Midoriko.

Naraku proved to be a great manipulator and a cowardly opponent who often hid himself while he sent his minions to attend to business that should have been his. Sesshoumaru found himself involved in a drawn-out conflict that he knew could easily bring about the demise of Rin. She was very bright, inordinately level-headed and intelligent for a child of her age, but, unlike a demon child, she had no means with which to protect herself. Sesshoumaru was confident in his strength and abilities, but knew that even he was not infallible. That was displayed during his battle with Jakotsu of the Shichinintai. With his concentration focused on his opponent, he had been unable to prevent an attack on Rin from another of the revived mercenaries, one that sent the girl off a bridge and into a river far below. When Sesshoumaru had gone to look for her, he had been almost certain she had been swept away in the current. And it was then that he realized that despite his strength, even despite Tenseiga, there were ways in which Rin could still easily meet her death. Though he had located her in time to save her life, he knew that her travels with him must cease at some point, and sooner would be better than later.

He could not deny that she was quickly growing up and would be better off raised in the confines of a human village, though the thought of relegating her to the hands of one of the incompetent creatures struck him as unacceptable. In the end, he had sought out a hanyou woman who resided in a town relatively near his family's home. Kameko had been a great friend of Inutaisho and was well-respected in her town, despite her status as a half-breed. To Sesshoumaru' relief, she was more than willing to take over the care of Rin.

The girl proved to be far more upset at his decision than he had expected, as Sesshoumaru had underestimated the depth of her attachment to him. He stood firm in his decision and promised to return for her, an oath that likely comforted her little since she had always seemed rather concerned that he would one day abandon her.

Naraku's death was not an easy one to secure. It ended in a massive battle that included his various detachments as well as Inuyasha, his human companions, and the wolf demon, Kouga. It was a bloody affair, but one that appeared to have been mostly successful. In the end, it was neither Inuyasha nor Sesshoumaru that delivered the killing blow to Naraku, but the efforts of the human Kagome who used the mysterious Shikon no Tama to seal him after he was methodically weakened by the combined strength of his demon opponents.

It was perhaps Inuyasha who suffered the greatest loss in that battle. The power of the Shikon no Tama was expressed by not only destroying Naraku, but itself as well. The jewel seemed almost to collapse in upon itself and disappeared, taking Kagome with it. Everyone else had survived, but Inuyasha did not take the girl's disappearance well. Sesshoumaru had briefly considered another attempt at removing Tessaiga from Inuyasha's possession, this time for the boy's own good. Inuyasha was known to be rather stupid, hot-headed to the point of self-destruction, and it would be very much like him to vent his frustrations by instigating battle after battle with other youkai. Grief over the loss of a human girl would be a disgraceful provocation for the death of one of Inutaisho's sons, even weak and half-blooded as was the younger one. To Sesshoumaru's surprise, however, the hanyou did not attempt to satisfy a need for revenge, but instead returned with his remaining human friends to the village he so often haunted, fading from even so much as rumor.

It had taken four years to destroy Naraku, an insignificant amount of time to Sesshoumaru, but enough time to have made quite a difference in Rin's life. The child nearly outgrew that status in his absence. At twelve-years-old, she was firmly ensconced in her life inside Kameko's village, and the hanyou woman was quick to assure Sesshoumaru that Rin was very happy, had been welcomed by the other villagers. It was this that brought Sesshoumaru to the decision not to return for her. It was a promise that would be broken for surprisingly unselfish reasons. She was where she belonged.

Despite his certainty in the wisdom of his decision, he could not dismiss her completely. He listened for word of her. He warned the youkai in the region in no uncertain terms that to approach her village would mean death, thus drawing him out of that stall he had been caught in, motivating him to fully return to his duties as the western lord, the resentment toward his father having faded with time and circumstances.

Sesshoumaru found himself enforcing his words against the demons that were still stupid enough to try to attack the town. They never reached their destination because they were always met by him, their lives cut down before they could wreak even the slightest destruction. It was because of his efforts that the villagers enjoyed several years free of a youkai threat, something they could not explain, but were grateful for. It was rumored within the village that a dog demon protected them, a powerful youkai lord who prevented any of his kind from harming them.

Rin believed these rumors whole-heartedly.

* * *

**To the Reviewers:**

_**Silver Spell: **Agh, sorry about your stories! That must have been so disappointing. And yeah, I agree about Kikyou. Lol! I cannot wait for them to finally stop that little bit of interference. ;) As for the reunification thing, well, all hell's gonna break loose and Sesshy's gonna have to go get Rin. Next chapter:D_

_**Aiwendil Amaurea:** Thanks very much! Actually, the plot thing keeps changing in my head. I'll think of taking things one way and when I sit down and write they go a different way. Oh, well…it'll all end up where it's supposed to. I hope. ;) And I have no objection to getting a plug…actually that's very sweet of you. I've read one of your stories before…a while back before I had an account. I couldn't get my account verified and I didn't know you could leave Anonymous reviews, so I never left one, but I loved it. :D Actually, I need to go add it to my favorites…and finally review!_

_**Blaise:** Lol! Yeah…you know, I argued with myself over that scene. I kept thinking "Ugh…that is such crap" and then I'd think, "Well, no, it's cute…" I was sort of trying to show what a big conflict he was having…he likes her, but he's not supposed to. Not in love with her like she is him, so it was meant to be more friendly than particularly romantic, I think. I don't know. See? I'm arguing with myself right here. Damn. Well, that may be a scene that gets drastically altered when I go back to correct things after this is all done. I've got some other places that seem OOC to me, too…but I'll fix 'em later! And about Ashrem being Naraku-ish…he's definitely manipulative. Glad you like him! Thanks for the compliment! I am so addicted to the translations, too…jeez, I check that site like once a day. ;)_

_**Wingless Dreams: **Midory, hmm? Cute! ;) Here's an update…not a particularly great one, but it'll just have to do until I can get to the Sesshy/Rin stuff this week. :D_

_**New Fan: **Thank you! As for the connection between Midoriko and Rin, that will come out in the next chapter. They're not related nor is Rin a reincarnation. Actually, it's a rather sudden connection. A hint. ;) _

_**Lashka the White Rose: **Right here! ;)_


	10. Awakening

**Chapter Ten - Awakening**

"Agh, Rin! You're _so _slow!" Kisho called loudly, voice rending the air with shrill complaint. The skinny, dark-haired boy turned to look over his shoulder, his exasperation evident as he watched the older girl make her way down the muddy slope, her sandals caked with enough muck to make her feel like her feet were being weighted down by rocks.

Once she reached the bottom, Rin returned his displeased look, trying to put out an aura of authority. "We shouldn't even be this far, Kisho. Kameko will be very upset, especially since it looks like it's going to start raining again. At this rate, we'll get sick." She looked up at the angry sky, dreading another downpour. She was already soaked, her kimono hanging on her like a sopping wet blanket. And it was such a long ride back...

Kisho waved away her concerns with a careless hand. "I don't need to worry about such petty things. Demons don't get sick," he said, his tone very self-assured.

"Don't be stupid," she replied exasperatedly, shaking her head at his haughtiness. "You are the great grandson of a hanyou. You're as human as me and just as likely to catch whatever I get from being out in this mess."

"If that makes you feel better," he replied in that same superior voice, but then he grinned disarmingly. "Where's your sense of adventure? You're not nearly as much fun as you used to be. Now you're just afraid of getting dirty."

"I'm not afraid of getting dirty...I'm afraid of your grandmother and what she'll have to say when she sees that I've let you go out this far," Rin replied with obvious hesitance, tucking back a stray strand of dark hair. "You're a morbid little boy, Kisho. What could there possibly be about the old exterminators' village that would capture your interest so much?"

"Not the village," Kisho answered with a shake of his head, still grinning mischievously, his black hair tousling in the stormy wind. He pointed ahead of them to the dark opening of a cave not far ahead. "_That_."

The distant rumble of thunder could be felt underneath her feet as Rin studied the outside of the cave. It unnerved her, the creepy silence that gravitated around this place, very much like the quiet of a graveyard. Kisho apparently shared none of her misgivings. He raced nimbly toward the opening, feet splashing carelessly into puddles of nasty-looking, dark water.

She followed him at a short distance, silently cursing the curiosity of ten-year-old boys. Sudden worry worked itself into her mind as she sidestepped the same puddles that Kisho had just plowed through, a concern that this place could possibly be home to something dangerous, a wild animal's den or...

She pulled up short just outside the hovering entrance as she imagined a pack of wolves lounging inside the deep blackness, just waiting for a meal to happen along...

"Kisho!" she called fearfully, sprinting inside the opening, swiftly enveloped by the dimness that blinded her almost immediately. As her eyes adjusted to the wan light, she could just make out his form ahead, pausing to glance back over his shoulder at her before going further in.

"Get back here!" she hissed at him, the sound echoing resoundingly from the damp cave walls. The humidity inside the place made her feel hot and claustrophobic, her heart pounding steadily against her rib cage as, again, the image of a pouncing, snarling wolf came to mind. _Reckless boy! _she thought frantically. Growing up in such a secure village had obviously hindered his ability to recognize a dangerous situation. She chased after him, her sandals slapping against the rocky floor far too loudly for her own comfort.

"Rin!" his voice called suddenly from up ahead. She ran faster, certain that he was in the process of meeting some horrible end, but when she found him, he was standing lazily with his arms crossed over his chest, appearing completely relaxed. He looked back at her as she hurried up to him, an expression of glee on his young face.

"Grandmother was serious!" he exclaimed in awe.

"Serious about what?" Rin replied irritably, catching her breath and trying to slow her racing heart. She was securely back to being annoyed with him now that she saw he was not in mortal danger.

"The story she told me. There really is a miko trapped in here. Look!" He pointed upward and Rin followed his index finger, mouth opening in silent surprise as she saw in the scant illumination that he was indeed correct. The bluish filtered light from the opening of the cave highlighted a statue-like rock formation that contained the hardened remains of an uncountable number of demons and, in the middle of them, the form of a human girl...one that did not look to be much older than Rin herself. Horrified, she took a step back, eyes bouncing back and forth between the razor-sharp claws, knife-like teeth, and bulging, angry faces that protruded toward her. She did not doubt this sight would bring her nightmares for several weeks to come.

Even Kisho seemed a little less thrilled by his discovery now that he saw how gruesome it appeared to be. He took a couple of steps back and stood next to Rin, the smile fading slowly.

"We should go," Rin whispered, eyes still locked on the face of the frozen girl, not able to help but wonder how frightening the last moments of her life must have been. She put an arm around Kisho's thin shoulders and started to lead him back toward the mouth of the cave, but, as she turned, a glow near her right foot caused her to look down.

Releasing her hold on Kisho, Rin knelt on the worn rocky ground, inspecting it for what had caught her eye. After only a moment of studying the dimness, she noticed the glint of metal extending from a portion of the rock. _How odd_, she thought. _There is no light in here to cause such a shine..._

Seemingly of their own accord, her fingers reached out toward the object, fingertips running alongside the edge of what looked to be the hilt of a sword. Upon contact with the weapon, a thrilling energy shot through her fingertips and up her arm, prompting her to pull back in stunned surprise.

"Rin?" Kisho questioned nervously.

Heart thumping even louder now, Rin waited for the strange feeling to abate. For several long seconds, her mind debated with itself as to what she should do. Logically-speaking, she knew without a doubt that the smartest course of action would be to grab Kisho by the hand and never enter this place again, but...something else, _something_ whispered to her to take it, to make use of it... Unable to take her eyes from the sword or find a thought sufficient enough to argue against this desire to hold it, she reached toward it again. Thin fingers grasped around the leathery hilt, locking onto it with a grip that felt as though her hand had been suddenly welded. She pulled.

One would not have thought that this sword had been buried within this place for over three centuries, so smoothly did it slide out from its hiding place, as though slickened with oil. Rin had only an instant to wonder at the lightness of it, her heart strangely buoyant, as though she had never made a better decision in her life...before it began to shake violently.

Shocked out of her strange behavior by the sword's sudden uninitiated movements, Rin tried to drop the weapon but found that she was unable to unclench her fist. The vibrations extended up her arm, causing the entire appendage to throb along with the sword. A low whine began then, growing in pitch and intensity until it was nearly painful to hear.

"Rin!" Kisho yelled over the racket, shoving his hands over his ears.

Rin turned to look back at him, intending to order him outside, but before she could form the words something unseen physically picked the boy up and hurled him from the cave. In the next instant, an explosion of light rocked the darkness, surrounding Rin with a brilliance that forced her to close her eyes. She collapsed to the rock, still gripping the sword...or, more accurately, completely unable to loosen herself from the hold it had on her. The whine became a roar and all around her, Rin could hear the sounds of destruction, rock being separated from rock, loud groans as though the place was pulling itself apart from sides to ceiling.

She was unaware of how long it was before she opened her eyes, but when she did, the eerie, deceptive silence had blanketed everything once more. A haze of brightness clouded her vision until she managed to blink it away, her sight clearing to find stormy grayness instead of blue-black walls of rock.

_Outside?_ she wondered disjointedly.

Pulling herself up to her knees, Rin looked around her in awestruck silence. The cave no longer existed; not even dust littered the landscape where it had been so physically present just moments earlier. It was simply gone. Throat constricting with fear as she remembered Kisho, she lurched to her feet and began screaming his name, but her worry was quickly put to rest when she heard her own name and looked behind her to find the boy running toward her with a frightened urgency.

"_Riiiiin_!" he called, crashing into her and clinging with a desperate embrace. "I thought you would be dead...," he gasped breathlessly, eyes wide with terror, as though not completely convinced he wasn't holding onto a ghost.

Catching her own breath, Rin draped her arm around him in a gesture of comfort, glancing behind her at the empty space where the cave had been. Only a sunken area of land completely devoid of grass suggested where tons of rock might have once stood, and she realized Kisho was right. She _should_ be dead and perhaps him as well. What on earth had happened? And how had they survived?

"It was so strange, Rin," Kisho babbled excitedly, swiftly recovering from the fright as his hands made descriptive gestures. "One minute I was in there with you and the next I was on the other side of the hill. I don't even have a scratch on me! Look!"

Barely hearing him, Rin noticed the steady weight in her right hand and looked down to see that she was still clutching the sword. It was silent now, lying still and cold as though nothing had even happened. _What sort of incredible being would possess such a powerful weapon? _she wondered, unable to ignore the clammy feeling of worry that was frozen in her stomach. It would have to be brought to Kameko, Rin decided. She would know what to do with something so obviously dangerous.

* * *

The ocean waves struck against the craggy cliffs of the eastern lands, beating at the thick layers of rock until they finally gave way piece by piece to tumble into the depths, no doubt beginning a journey that would eventually find them washed up on some distant shore. Even the enormous castle-like structure that was built into the cliff side was in danger from this erosive enemy. One day it too would find itself tumbling into the ocean, but until then its sharply erect spires pierced the sky like needles.

Though the permanence of a demon's existence rivaled almost that of the sea itself, possessions did not. Isamu, the lord of the east, was discovering this as the centuries wore away at his home.

Sesshoumaru stood beside the much older water demon, the pair contemplatively watching as the tides rolled steadily in. Though Sesshoumaru was unaware of Isamu's exact age, he knew that it must be excessive. Isamu had been in control of the east since before even Inutaisho's birth.

And with age, Sesshoumaru thought, came complacency, which was why the sudden request for a meeting had struck him as strange. Isamu generally kept to himself, but something serious had obviously inspired him to decide that a discussion with the western lord had become a necessity.

"Surely you have noticed, Sesshoumaru..." Isamu began in his slow, hypnotic voice, "...what has been occurring..."

Sesshoumaru finally turned his attention from the distant horizon to his eastern counterpart. "Could you be more cryptic, Isamu?" he questioned wryly, even though his instincts could soundly guess as to what the elder demon was referring.

Isamu merely stared back at him, his chilly blue eyes boring a hole into the younger demon until Sesshoumaru finally voiced his own thoughts. "Something strange is building. If you called me here to ask for more information than that, I cannot tell you."

"It comes from your lands..."

"I am aware of that," Sesshoumaru replied instantly, a faint note of petulance in the tone.

"Then perhaps you should do something about it?" Isamu suggested with only the slightest hint of sarcasm. "Preferably before it spreads to other areas, as it did with the one called Naraku."

"Old man, it is laughable to have my authority questioned by one who cowers in his ocean until trouble is past," Sesshoumaru said steadily, finding that he was already weary of the discussion. It was for the ancient to sit around and ponder the possibilities and for the young to deal with the realities they brought. _That _was precisely what he should be doing now, instead of speaking in enigmatic verses with a demon lord whose long life had obviously convinced him to believe that his counsel would actually be worthwhile.

Isamu chuckled at Sesshoumaru's disrespect. "I am no coward. I merely choose my battles, pup."

"Then kindly remove yourself from mine. When a threat reveals itself, I will meet it," Sesshoumaru answered firmly.

"Of course," Isamu replied, bowing his head in mock deference, a thin smile crossing his lips. "You are your grandfather all over again, Sesshoumaru. Stubborn, headstrong, and far too confident in your own abilities. Everyone meets their match one day. I would suggest that, unless you wish to meet an end similar to that of your grandfather, you quell your ego enough to call for help should you need it. There are those who will answer." He held up a hand to head off the retort that was about to come his way. "This is meant with no disrespect. I think as lords we tend to overestimate our abilities, myself included in that. We are not gods, we each have our weaknesses. I am merely offering what your father and grandfather once offered to me...a reminder that friendship has been extended to you by myself and others. That is all. What you do with that is up to you."

"Keep sleeping, Isamu," Sesshoumaru replied quietly, though the ire had left his voice. He blinked against the salty breeze that blew into his face, eyes cast to the distant horizon. "I will require no help."

Another deep silence fell between the two as they watched Jaken on the beach below them waddling about, his flat, clawed feet leaving bird-like tracks across the sand as he bent to inspect various things of interest.

Finally Isamu spoke again, sounding humored as he brought up what he knew to be a sore subject. "You should consider taking a mate. Should something happen to you, a vacuum of power will present itself in the west."

True to Isamu's expectations, Sesshoumaru had to suppress his frustration as this subject was broached. He was weary with how obsessively this old man followed his personal matters. "And I do not doubt that it would suit you and the others to carve up my lands between yourselves. I do not see my death approaching any time soon, old man, but when it does, do not doubt that I will have an heir to take my place."

Isamu smiled again, not daring to look Sesshoumaru in the eye as he added, "I have some great-granddaughters who would be more than happy to fulfill the function of providing you an heir. In fact, _several_ have made it quite clear that---"

"Isamu," Sesshoumaru interrupted, voice icy with displeasure, "I will see to the acquisition of a mate in the same way I see to the security of my lands...on my own, in my own way, and _without_ unsolicited advice."

Isamu's low laugh was cut short by a pained shriek, which was quickly followed by an angry exclamation of "_Nintoujou_!" Both demon lords looked down at the beach once more, watching as Jaken busily set about roasting an enormous pincered creature with the Staff of Heads.

"Ah, I forgot to warn him...it is mating season for the giant lobsters." Isamu's voice was as lazy and evil as the grin that spread across his face. "Apparently it views your friend as competition."

"It underestimates itself," Sesshoumaru replied with brutal honesty.

No sooner had the words left his mouth when a feeling of _threat_ permeated the air, an expulsion of purification, prompting the youkai lords to turn toward the west, both still and silent as their senses worked to judge the source.

"It's clearly coming from your direction, Sesshoumaru," Isamu finally commented. "I think your threat has decided to reveal itself."

* * *

Kameko was indeed not pleased to see that Rin and Kisho had returned from their adventure soaked to the skin, dirty, and in possession of a weapon that worried her in ways she could not explain. Even before she listened to Rin's tale, there was something about the way the sword glittered with an ominous darkness that made her certain it was likely something that should never have been found. Though it appeared completely ordinary, her hanyou senses desired greatly for her to order the girl to remove it from her home at once. And it was precisely that feeling that made her decide it would be best to carefully guard it instead.

The sword lay on a table in the main living area, untouched, but eyed nervously by Rin who had settled herself in front of the fire in order to dry from her much-needed bath. Kisho had already been sent to bed, exhausted from his excessive adventure. Guilty over the idea that the boy could have easily died while under her supervision, Rin had been avoiding Kameko all night, wondering if the woman held her at all responsible for what could easily, and probably should have, been a fatal event.

Berating herself over her lax caution, Rin wrapped into a woolen blanket, eyes fixed on the flickering flames as she listened to the sounds of Kameko rustling about in the next room, likely preparing to write another round of letters to her various family members. Because of the demon blood that extended her life, Kameko had had the misfortune of outliving her children, but despite this sadness she was always quick to say that it was a blessing to have lived to see the lives of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren she would never have otherwise met. Likely the woman would outlive even Kisho and watch his own grandchildren grow to old age.

Rin could remember a time when she had desired nothing more than to have been born a youkai, but being a part of Kameko's life these past seven years had illustrated for her how harsh and difficult it was when one's existence was prolonged to the point where they outlived those around them many times over. How did one ever have a sense of home with such impermanence? It was like living several lives, not just one; new faces and experiences, all while carrying the weight of the things that were gone and unretrievable.

Thoughts of the demon that had inspired Rin's childish wish to become one of his kind, to remain with him forever, came to mind then, as they inevitably did even all these years later. She still missed Sesshoumaru very much, but now that she was older she could understand why he had not returned for her. For several long years she had feared that perhaps he had been killed during his hunt for Naraku. It was so unlike him not to keep his word that her mind could not comprehend any other reason as to why she had remained in the village even after the news of Naraku's death had spread vast relief in the west. Kameko had been kind enough to alleviate her fears as to Sesshoumaru's well-being, but had refused to discuss him further.

As she had grown older, the whispered accounts of the woods being haunted by a white demon had made Rin certain that the uncommon safety of their village was more than partly attributable to Sesshoumaru. These stories brought mixed feelings; relief and security, as well as the sad realization that, even though he often lurked nearby and despite the fact that she had spent many an afternoon wandering the forests in the hopes of seeing him, he was obviously intent on not revealing himself to her.

Exhaling a sigh, Rin wrapped her arms around her legs, bringing her chin down to rest on her knees as she gazed forlornly into the fire. Within moments her eyes had traveled up to the table that held the sword. That odd, thrumming warmth pounded in her fingertips again and, once more, she felt a strong need to _touch_ it...

Finally forcing her gaze elsewhere, she pushed away the thrill of power it had instigated and instead focused on the destruction it had caused. Part of her never wanted to touch the weapon again. But..._something_... Again her eyes strayed to the sword. There was something so hypnotic about it...about the small dark lights that twinkled from within the cold metal…

Soft footsteps behind her warned of Kameko's presence and she looked guiltily up at her guardian's arrival. Despite being over one hundred years old, Kameko barely looked as though she had reached her twentieth birthday. Her face was still smooth and unlined, and she moved with the gracefulness of the young, not that of a woman who was a great-grandmother several times over. All because of that mysterious demon blood that ran through her veins; it was all so strange to Rin.

"Kameko-san," Rin said quietly. "What will you do with it?"

Moving to kneel next to Rin, the woman's dark blue hair fell forward to shield part of her face from view as she prodded the fire into providing more warmth. Summer was nearly upon them, but despite the atrocious humidity that had blanketed the countryside earlier that day, a chilly curtain had fallen along with the last of the sun's light. "Do not concern yourself about it, my dear," Kameko replied breezily. "I have an idea of someone who might find it interesting."

"Oh?" Rin questioned curiously. "Who?"

Kameko turned and gave Rin a small smile, her pale green eyes lit with warmth. "Go to sleep, Rin. If Kisho's weariness is any indication, the two of you have had far too eventful a day for you to stay up well into the late hours."

Though Kameko was correct in judging Rin's state of lackluster energy, the younger girl could not bring herself to move from the spot. Again her brown eyes swept to the sword on the table, fingers twitching absently.

"Kameko-san," she whispered, as though in fear that someone might overhear what she was about to say and think her insane. "Does the sword...does it _bother_ you?"

Arched eyebrows slowly lifting in interest, Kameko regarded her young charge curiously. For a moment she looked as though she was going to repudiate her obvious concern over the weapon's presence, but she decided instead to be truthful. "Yes," she finally admitted. "It does bother me, Rin. I'm asking you not to touch it again. It will be gone from here as soon as I can arrange it."

_Is she afraid? _Rin wondered. Even hours later, an excited tingle still washed through Rin's veins, along with a strange possessiveness toward the sword, a _yearning_. _Should something so valuable be tossed away? _she thought rebelliously.

Noticing the strange glittering look in the young girl's eyes as she stared longingly at the sword, Kameko reached out and lightly touched Rin's arm, forcing the girl to focus on her once more. "Don't touch the sword again, Rin," she repeated seriously. "I don't know what ---" she stopped suddenly then, her lithe form going very still. Without another word, Kameko rose and hurried from the room.

_What? _Rin wondered, swiveling her head to watch Kameko rush away.

A floor-shaking _boom_ echoed from outside, disturbing the peacefulness of the sleepy rain-soaked night and making Rin jump. Instantly, she leapt to her feet, dropping the blanket on the floor behind her in her haste to follow Kameko.

Outside, other disturbed villagers were peering out of their homes and up at the sky, many of them having been woken by the explosive noise. Squinting into the damp, smothering blackness, Rin could just make out Kameko in the distance, her bow in hand, putting an arrow to string just as a monstrous form rushed from the forest, eyes gleaming with red fury. Cries of alarm and shouted orders were heard as women swiftly ushered their children back inside and men ran to get their weapons. It had been seven years since they had been called upon to defend themselves from a youkai attack and the village had been caught completely unprepared.

Clutching the door frame tensely, Rin watched as Kameko faced off against her opponent, a massive boar demon whose tusks jutted well past its large, snout-like nose. A rustling movement came from behind her and Kisho appeared, rubbing his eyes.

"Whas' goin' on?" he slurred sleepily, coming to stand near Rin.

Immediately Rin shoved him back into the house. "Stay inside!" she ordered, voice laced with fear. Subdued by the urgency of her tone and with memories of events from earlier in the day still fresh in his mind, he did not balk at the command.

Stepping outside, Rin's long black hair was blown fiercely by the wind, rain smattering against her face as the village men raced past her armed with spears, bows, and various other weapons. Calm and composed as ever, Kameko shot an arrow at the boar demon, piercing the creature's throat and inciting it into even more of a frenzy. It reached out to swipe at her, and Rin was relieved to see that she expertly dodged the attack.

Apparently feeling itself sufficiently threatened, the boar demon inhaled a great breath of air, expelling it in a fireball burst to incinerate a building. The villagers stepped back hesitantly, but Kameko fired again, this time striking the demon in one glowing crimson eye.

_She's trying to find his weak point_, Rin thought suddenly, her fingernails biting anxiously into her palms as the youkai swung around and swatted several of the approaching village men out of the way. Knocked from their feet as though they weighed nothing, the men flew backward and crashed solidly into a woodshed.

Again Kameko dodged a swipe, but the demon, clearly weary of her, blew another burst of fire, forcing her and everyone around her to dive out of the way. With rapid movements that belied its size, the boar rushed headlong into the center of the town. Feeling that safety had now become fleeting, Rin hurried inside as the beast's heavy footsteps pounded nearer. She quickly knocked the now-awake and curious Kisho to the ground, covering his body with hers as the demon broke through the doorframe, scattering splinters of wood in a whirlwind.

Surging adrenaline propelling her, Rin pulled Kisho to his feet and hauled him by one arm to the back of the house, intending to shove him out another exit. Again her hand burned hotly as she raced through the rooms with the boy, noticing the sword out of the corner of her eye as she pulled open the screen and pushed Kisho roughly outside, feeling a moment of regret as her urgency sent the boy sprawling in the mud.

"Get out! Run into the woods and don't return until we come for you!" she yelled at him, slamming the door closed. Hearing what sounded like an avalanche coming from the front of the house, Rin rushed toward the table, her feet practically sliding out from under her in her haste. Desperate, she grasped the sword in one hand and turned in time to see the boar stick its massive, tusked head around the doorway. She pointed the sword at the beast, hand wavering slightly, waiting expectantly for the gigantic explosion to come out and obliterate him as it had done the cave.

To her immense horror, nothing happened.

Uttering a soft curse of frustration, Rin looked from the sword to the invading creature and, recognizing what was about to happen as he opened his gaping mouth, turned and bolted for the door, barely able to wrench it open before a blast of fire blew outward, a roaring, consuming wave. She leapt from the top of the stairs, landing painfully on one knee several feet away from the house just as flames shot out from the windows and doorway, licking at the building with a ferocity equal to their creator. The demon emerged from the flames, his eyes menacingly reflecting the orange light as he exited the quickly burning home.

Forcing herself to her feet, Rin instinctively ran toward the protection of the other villagers, rounding the house in time to catch sight of Kameko limping hurriedly toward her, looking slightly scorched and disheveled. Rin had only to see the woman's horrified face to know how close the youkai was behind her and, sensing an impending attack, her brain whirled frantically for a way to survive. She was not a fighter. She had never been trained for a battle. She had always been protected...

_Sesshoumaru-sama..._ came the choked thought, as the face of the long-missed demon lord came to mind.

A wave of fire shot out from behind her, stinging her back and neck, and she stumbled under the onslaught, falling to her knees, one hand clutching at the ground in a muddy grip, the other instinctively grasping the sword, willing it to save her now that there was no taiyoukai to do so.

_I'm going to die_, she realized, her heart giving a great surge of despair. It was then that something flashed behind her eyelids, the image of a girl with long dark hair like herself, appearing serious and sad. Rin watched as this strange vision raised one hand and, instantaneously, she was consumed by light once more. It swirled around her, deepening to a blinding white, bringing with it the sensation that a heavy blanket had just been thrown over her.

A voice whispered in her ear, one that she could not recognize as either male or female, but its instructions were clear. Rin's hand raised the sword and turned to her attacker, looking up to see a wave of fire bouncing off of her without even the slightest heat to accompany it. The blade glowed white-hot, dark jewel-like flecks pulsing insistently from within it.

Seemingly unrelated images formed inside her mind, memories that did not belong to her accompanied by a strange frantic whispering..._a young girl carefully plucking bright yellow flowers from a field, pausing to look up as an older man and a teenaged boy practiced swordsmanship nearby..._**flash**_...a smiling, kind-looking woman offering a handmade doll to a small pair of hands..._**flash**_...the face of the same woman, appearing to be very ill this time, speaking slowly and with great effort...**flash**...a battle, one which was being fought by two enormous white dogs...**flash**...the beautiful, comforting face of a very serious-looking demon, one which Rin instantly recognized..._

A feeling of immense power caught hold of her, melting the fear she had felt toward the boar. Rin could physically feel something building, growing, shrieking within her...and then a force of immense strength collided with her, the impact sending her flailing backward while, simultaneously, the sword was ripped from her hands.

* * *

It was gone. As though it had never been corporeal to begin with, Midoriko's cave had disappeared from the landscape. Ignoring the sheets of rain that poured down around him from the dark skies overhead, Sesshoumaru knelt to inspect the earth more closely.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" whined a grating voice as Jaken hurried breathlessly down the slope, the Staff of Heads trailing over one tiny shoulder.

As he generally chose to do in order to preserve Jaken's existence, Sesshoumaru ignored the toad, instead rising from the ground, keen eyesight searching the hills around him for signs of...anything. The air was overwrought with the scent of purifying energy...just as it had been all those years ago...

He frowned in consternation. Had it been this that he had felt from so far away? It had come suddenly, a feeling of a growing threat that had at first emanated from this place and now came from even further toward the west. It nipped insistently at his senses, as though encouraging him to recognize something...

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken questioned in his usual tedious manner.

Before he could collect his thoughts sufficiently, Sesshoumaru sensed the presence of another youkai, one who was riled, furious... Without a word to his minion, Sesshoumaru shot off toward Rin's village, intent on chasing down the bloodthirsty creature that was about to so blatantly disregard his command. Smoke assaulted his sense of smell well before the flickering glow of fire came into distant focus. As he hurtled past the blurred line of trees that closed in on either side of him, he picked up the scent of human blood and silently cursed himself for having been remiss enough to let such a beast get past him.

Within the town itself, chaos had taken hold as the shrieks of women and children pierced his ears. The presence of a deadly, imminent peril cloaked his senses, igniting his baser instinct to _destroy_...and it was with great shock that he realized this was precisely why the other youkai had come to wreak destruction. A threat against _them_ existed in this village, and that was what the boar demon had come for.

The youkai in question was hovering over a feminine form, one encapsulated by some sort of barrier, appearing bent in submission. For a heart-stopping instant Sesshoumaru's mind recalled the number of times he had witnessed Midoriko wield just such a power and it was almost as though three hundred years had faded; an eerie, ghostly sight that took him a moment to blink away. Though he would not have recognized her with sight alone, such were the physical changes in the girl, he would have known Rin's scent anywhere and it was toward this that he rushed.

A feeling of foreboding was what spurred him to launch himself at the barrier, the force of his demonic aura overwhelming it as he simultaneously knocked the sword out of her hand, wrenching it away, allowing it to embed itself securely in the mud. He then whirled on her assailant. Before the beast could open its mouth to attack, Toukijin was in hand, gutting with a savageness that split the boar into two nearly equal pieces. The rabid light faded from its eyes as it collapsed to the ground, unmoving, its blood spilling out to darken the earth around it.

Rin gaped in astonishment as she stared up at the stoic white form that stepped back from its kill. "Sesshoumaru-sama," she whispered disbelieving recognition, swallowing the tightening lump in her throat. She had been certain he would be her last thought, and yet here he was...

He sheathed his sword in one quick motion, his normally expressionless face caught in a frown, an expression that lightened some when his eyes swerved to rest on her. With characteristically graceful movements, he walked toward her, extending a hand to pull her up from the ground, tone sounding wryly self-deprecating as he quietly spoke to her. "It appears that I have not broken my promise after all."

* * *

The town's priest offered Kameko and those that resided within her household a place to stay at the temple, which the hanyou woman readily accepted, sending Rin along with a wide-eyed Kisho to these safe confines while she helped see to injured villagers and their damaged property. Her own home had nearly been gutted by fire, but the downpour of rain had finally stopped the flames' ability to spread and the house now sat silently, a smoking hulk to be repaired on the morrow.

The village was in such an understandable uproar that Rin knew she would never be able to sleep. Kisho overcame his own shock quickly enough and snuggled under a pile of blankets on one of the pallets, snoring lightly as a soft sprinkle of rain continued to fall on the roof above their heads.

Seated near him, Rin quietly cracked open the screen that led to the outside, searching the night for Sesshoumaru. His sudden return had shocked her beyond words, but then, she realized, it really should not have. He had always seemed to materialize right at the moment when she needed him most. He was uncanny in that way, had always been.

At the moment he stood near the village square, arguing with Kameko and apparently oblivious to the fact that they were both soaked, their clothes hanging heavily from their bodies as they exchanged heated words. Rin could tell that it was an argument because of the familiar rigid set to his features, the no-nonsense look he was giving Kameko, who listened to him and then shook her head negatively.

Feeling a great surge of warmth toward him, Rin smiled, barely caring that he was clearly in a terrible mood. He was _here_. She could sit here and see him and that made her happier than she had been in a very long time. He looked like a god standing out there amongst the shabbily dressed townspeople, and it was the sudden realization of how out-of-place he appeared that brought dread of his departure. Fear that he might simply leave without allowing her to speak with him now that the threat was vanquished made her nervously tap her fingertips against the wooden floorboards.

To her immense relief, he finally turned from Kameko and walked toward the temple, apparently having finished with their disagreement. He still wore the sword she had found earlier in the day, having placed it with his other weapons at his waist. There was something about the weapon that clearly made him agitated. He had snapped angrily at her when she had tried to pull it from out of the muck after the battle, barking a command at her to never touch it again. There was no way she was going to argue the matter with him.

But even now, after all of the danger she had encountered with that sword, she still wanted very much to touch it, to feel the hilt in her grasp again. It had been thrilling, that feeling of youkai-like power that had swept through her. She was certain that if Sesshoumaru had arrived only a few moments later, she would have been able to figure out how to work it and destroy the demon on her own.

Gently closing the screen door, she turned to check on Kisho before rising from the floor, intent on finding Sesshoumaru before he managed to leave again. But, to her surprise, it was he that met her at the doorway to the room, evidently desiring a discussion. Rin closed the door behind her and led him away so that their voices would not carry back to wake Kisho.

An unusual awkwardness fell between them as they stepped outside under the protection of the overhanging roof, something that Rin could not remember having encountered with him before. She had always been comfortable around Sesshoumaru, even when he had not been so around her. The awkward feeling dissipated as she smiled, recalling all of the times she had chattered at him so incessantly about pointless, childish things, matters he could not have cared less about. As a child, it had been nothing less than a treat for him to even speak to her, so much had she revered him. Jaken had always competed with her for a kind word from their lord and, though she had often enjoyed basking in what she viewed as Sesshoumaru's favoritism, now she looked back and felt a bit sorry for his faithful servant.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama," she spoke first, glancing up at him as he stared out into the dark woods. He had not changed at all, not that she was surprised by that. It was rather comforting, actually, this feeling that time stopped for him.

"You're welcome," he finally answered, and Rin watched him openly now, sensing somehow that he was troubled. It was not easy to tell for he was not one to give many external hints as to his thoughts, but living around him for as long as she had provided her some insight into the slight signs he gave off…a certain stiffness to his posture, a set to the jaw…yes, he was bothered.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, attempting to pull it out of him. Anything, really, to keep the thought of leaving from coming to him. She was having to fight the urge to touch him just to make sure he was really there.

He turned to look down at her, golden eyes gleaming, and Rin saw her own reflection looking back at her. "I was told you found the sword in a cave," he finally said. "Was it the one near the demon exterminators' village?"

"Yes," she answered truthfully. "I found it lodged in a pile of rock. I must have done something, activated it somehow…I destroyed the cave," she admitted guiltily.

"I know," he replied, looking to be deep in thought, yet appearing unconcerned that she had managed to utterly annihilate what she had later found out to be a grave. A chill worked its way up her spine and she could not suppress the shiver that came with it.

When silence fell between them once more, Rin glanced at the sword that hung at his side, tucked securely between Tenseiga and Toukijin. She flexed her hand absently, wondering why it was that he and Kameko were so adamant that it should not be touched. Clearly it responded to her, and if she learned to use it properly…

"Rin."

The lowly spoken name jerked her out of her reverie and she looked back up to see him staring at her with an intensity that nearly made her back away. Almost as though he had read her thoughts, he warned her again, "You are never to touch this sword again. I cannot make myself any clearer than that. Under no circumstances," he said emphatically.

"Do you know what gives it that strange power?" she asked, wondering if she was overstepping her bounds. She had the distinct feeling she was trespassing into something he did not want to discuss, but all of the cryptic warnings to keep her hands off of it her made her feel somewhat entitled to an explanation.

"Yes," he answered simply, falling quiet again as his mind continued to wonder at the events that had woken the sword. He knew precisely what was giving it its power and he realized now, belatedly, that his father had been correct. The Shikon no Tama _had_ come from Midoriko for it was shards of that cursed jewel that now lay underneath the sheen of metal in the blade, giving it a hypnotic black glow and creating an aura of darkness that was beginning to affect even him. The sword was burning steadily with a pent up purifying energy, creating a discomfort that made him want nothing more than to toss it away. The same aura now radiated from the girl that stood beside him, fading slightly now that her contact with the weapon had been broken, but still very present. He was reminded of the day he had met Midoriko, when his youkai instincts had surged with the desire to kill her. It had been that same reflex that had prompted the boar demon's attack this night.

Yes, this sword would attract more demons. The lesser, animalistic youkai would seek to destroy it, the stronger would want to obtain it for the power of the jewel shards within it. Sesshoumaru did not understand how it was that the Shikon no Tama had returned to all that was left of its creator, but he knew that it had been Rin's actions that had woken it. And if the jewel shards were securely bound to the sword, poisoned with what was obviously a dark energy, then was it the sealed Naraku that had guided Rin's hand? The darkened shards warned clearly that a benevolent presence was not currently in control of them.

Frustrated with these circular questions, Sesshoumaru finally spoke to Rin again. "I am familiar with this sword because I knew the one who wielded it. It was created by my father to suit her abilities." He turned a warning look on Rin, who was watching him with interest. "This sword killed a woman. It is dangerous and not to be handled lightly."

Listening to him speak, Rin was suddenly reminded of the strange images she had seen while she had been about to loose the sword on the boar demon, pictures of a life that had not been hers. Looking quickly at the weapon again, she asked. "What was her name?"

Sesshoumaru was slow to reply. "Midoriko."

"Midoriko," Rin repeated softly. "I will not touch her sword," she promised, smiling up at the demon lord in an attempt to lighten the mood. "It won't be of any help to me. I don't even know how to use it. I've never been trained to use any sort of weapon"

He nodded, eyes sweeping back to her, looking vaguely amused. "I am not surprised. Kameko has always disgraced even her hanyou heritage by refusing to make the best of the abilities she inherited."

Struck off-guard by what she deemed as an insulting remark about her guardian, Rin quickly replied defensively, "She's always been wonderful to me, Sesshoumaru-sama. You could not have chosen better." She stopped then and softened her tone. "I'm grateful. I've been very happy here, but I did miss you very much…and Jaken-sama," she added, knowing that her words had likely just made him very uncomfortable, even though his face did not betray any such emotion.

"I acted in your own best interests," he said distractedly, taking a step forward and gesturing for silence, as though hearing something far beyond the range of her own senses.

"I'll be right back," he assured her, before hurrying off into the dense overgrowth outside the temple, leaving Rin to watch after him. After a few moments of listening to the continued pouring of rain, Rin went back inside, unable to dismiss the worry that his abrupt departure had brought on. _Another youkai? _she wondered nervously, ears absorbing the soothing patter of the storm.

True to his word, Sesshoumaru returned within minutes, sliding open the screen doors to step in out of the rain, carelessly tossing a sodden, dark bundle ahead of him. Jaken rolled to a stop across the plain rug that swathed the floor, groaning dramatically.

"What happened? Jaken-sama?" Rin exclaimed worriedly, rushing toward her old friend. She was stopped short when Sesshoumaru reached out to grab her arm, pulling her back before she could provide the little toad with appropriate sympathy.

"He found himself in the path of a youkai, another that was heading toward this village."

"Is he all right?"

"He is useless," Sesshoumaru replied, sounding exasperated. "Apparently he cannot see in front of him what I can hear from miles away."

Rin smiled as the very disheveled Jaken issued a weary "Arigatou, Sesshoumaru-sama", still breathing heavily from his battle. She then turned back to Sesshoumaru as he released her arm. "You said another youkai was heading this way? Why? Have we suddenly offended someone?" she asked, concerned that her village might soon find itself attacked again.

"As of right now, the very existence of this place offends every youkai in the region," Sesshoumaru revealed grimly. "And it is because of this sword. They are drawn to it and will continue to be as long as it remains here."

* * *

Dawn found Rin busily spitting freshly caught fish, hanging them over a roaring communal fire to cook. Removing the ones that were already done enough to be consumed, she placed them on a small table that had been settled next to her. All around her were the sounds of hammering and shouting voices as the men worked to repair the damage that had been done to Kameko's house, stripping it of the blackened, charred wood and methodically replacing what had been destroyed with freshly cut timber. Because the house was easily the largest in the town, it was proving to be a long process and the workers were getting hungry.

An eerie, watched feeling settled between her shoulder blades and she turned to look behind her, already knowing what she would find. Sighing her frustration, Rin spoke to Jaken in a tone that was gaining more annoyance by the word. "Jaken-sama, will you _please_ quit glaring at me like that?"

"_You_ are different," he said accusingly, giant yellow eyes narrowing to suspicious slits. His nose quivered slightly and Rin could swear he was sniffing at her.

"It's been seven years. Are you so surprised?" she asked, deciding to resort to a friendlier tone.

"Yes," he replied without hesitation, placing his staff on the ground near his feet so that he could seat himself, shoving skinny green arms into his sleeves. He continued to stare at her, unblinking, speculative, as though not thoroughly convinced she was really Rin.

"You haven't been around very many humans, have you, Jaken-sama?"" Rin asked, taking one of the half-cooked fish off of the fire, cutting it apart and placing it on a thin slice of bread.

"Of course not," he answered quickly, looking appalled at the very idea. He eyed the fish she was working on with obvious interest, but then added bluntly in his annoyingly superior voice, "If you keep aging at this rate, you'll be dead in no time."

Deciding that humoring him would be the best course of action in order to avoid one of his rather long-winded speeches about humans being inferior, parasitic creatures, Rin extended the fish to the self-important toad youkai. "Here, eat this. It's just the way you like it. Mostly raw," she said fondly, smiling sweetly at him.

"I am not hungry," he insisted firmly, but she could see beady pupils following the fish that was practically being waved in front of his nose. Rin watched as his self-control wavered. "I do not need your disgusting human food."

Rin pulled back at that, a frown crossing her face. "What's wrong with you? You're being terribly rude, far more so than normal."

"Baka," he sneered. "It is not necessary for me to explain myself to you."

Frustration gathering quickly, Rin was about to voice a rude reply of her own when a low voice came from behind her.

"You're making him nervous," Sesshoumaru informed her, reaching for the water bucket that sat near her knee. She watched as he washed his hand, rinsing it clean of the dark blood that coated his fingers and claws. He had been very busy. While the people of the town had been working to restore Kameko's home and the other damaged buildings, Sesshoumaru had been drawn repeatedly from the village to take on the various demons that had come to destroy it, unknowingly pulled to their deaths by the aura of Midoriko's strange sword.

"Nervous?" Rin repeated what Sesshoumaru had said. "Why?" she asked, turning to look at Jaken once more. "It's not as though last night came about because of any abilities that I have. It was that strange sword. Do you actually think I would hurt you, Jaken-sama?" She tried again to extend the fish to him as a peace offering.

"As if you could," Jaken muttered sullenly, his pointy snout shoved into the air. "And I _told_ you, I do not want your nasty fish."

"_Jaken_," Sesshoumaru warned in a tone that suggested another refusal would likely be fatal, "_eat_ the fish."

Without further comment, Jaken reached out one tiny clawed hand and pulled the fish from Rin's grip, sniffing at it suspiciously before setting about consuming it with the unapologetic, ravenous hunger of a starving man.

"He senses that something is not right with you," Sesshoumaru continued, his amber eyes moving from the obedient Jaken to the kneeling Rin. "And he is correct. The sword's purifying energy is lingering on you, thus making your scent threatening to a youkai. It is reflex."

Rin nodded in understanding, forgiving Jaken for the rudeness as she reached absently to pull another mostly raw fish from the fire. She passed it to Jaken, and this time the toad took it without argument.

"Am I bothering you in the same way?" she questioned curiously, blinking up at the looming youkai lord, sun straining to blind her with rays that poured over his shoulder.

He appeared humored by that, looking away from her to study the activity of the village as he answered, "Yes, but I am civilized enough to differentiate between a true threat and an unintended one...and in your case, most especially given our history, no threat exists. Apparently, Jaken has come to fear you in some manner." The last comment was stated with a barely disguised sneer, and Rin listened as Jaken all but choked on the appalling accusation.

She cast an amused glance at Jaken before turning back to his master. "Are you hungry?" she inquired politely.

"No," Sesshoumaru answered, eyeing her as she resumed her chore, the scent of smoking fish assaulting his sense of smell. "We will need to leave soon," he told her. "It will be better for your village if it is done as quickly as possible."

Rin's face fell at this announcement, and she immediately tried to morph her dismay into an expression that was more even. She understood the reasoning behind the decision, but the idea of seeing him depart so soon after all the years of separation filled her with an inexpressible sadness. It had been so comforting to be with him again, a bit of her old life returned to her, and she was having to fight the urge to try to cling to it in some way. "Will I see you again?" she asked, trying to keep her tone level. He _hated_ an emotional scene, and she was determined not to embarrass him with one.

She watched as those perfect features were pulled into a frown. "Perhaps I have not made myself clear. You're returning with me."

Rin blinked at that, surprise and silent elation jolting her heart into a rapid beat. "Returning with you? Why?" she asked, then quickly added, "Not that I'm opposed, it's just that ---"

"I don't fully understand what has happened here," he admitted, looking as though he intensely disliked saying the words. "Until I do, you will be better served by remaining with me. Your village will be as safe as any other once the sword has been taken from it. Leaving you behind here still reeking of that same energy is out of the question."

"And once you find the answers you are looking for?" she asked him carefully.

"Then you are free to come home."

_Will I want to? _Rin wondered, contemplating the demon lord that towered before her. Though she loved Kameko and Kisho and the other villagers very much, there had been a deep hole in her life wrought by Sesshoumaru's absence. Still, the idea of permanently leaving the people she had come to view as her family caused a similar ache. It was confusing, these torn loyalties and desires, but she could admit that thoughts of _home_ just as easily circled around him as they did around her present environment.

Finally nodding her agreement, Rin asked, "Do you have an idea of where we can go for answers?"

Eyes narrowing slightly, Sesshoumaru sounded unhappy as he replied, "We will be paying a visit to my brother. He knows of someone with an innate ability to purify the jewel fragments within this sword, a necessity since their current state suggests they are being influenced by an evil energy. The blade is troublesome enough without having to fight another for dominance."

Rin's attention was then diverted by Jaken, who cleared his throat meaningfully. Grinning at his obvious attempt to gain her attention…and another fish…without directly asking for one, Rin obliged by handing him a third.

"You know, Jaken-sama…I am an adult now…."

"By _your_ standards," he replied, sounding unconvinced as he chewed the fish in great mouthfuls.

"I was wondering…do I still have to call you Jaken-_sama_?"

"Yes," came the emphatic reply as he took another bite.

"But you're not really a lord or…."

"Rin, you are a human, and because of that I tower above you in status. I demand the honorific," he said, eyes flashing haughtily.

Rin sighed dramatically, fighting the urge to laugh at his self-importance. "But Jaken-kun suits you so much better…"

* * *

**All right, so here we go with the Rin side of things! This half of the story is going to be harder...eek, not only is the plot more complicated, I'll have a ton more people to try to keep in character.**

**Much thanks to my new beta buddy, Wethril! Our e-mails have seriously helped me put some things into a context that almost makes sense...what a relief. ;)**

**Next chapter: a trip to see the adorable Inuyasha...my words, obviously, not Sesshy's...**

**To the Reviewers:**

_**SP777: **I am more relieved than you can know that this is coming off as original. My biggest fear was that I would think this thing up, work out the plot, and then find out that it had already been done somehow. ;) As for how far I intend to take this...well, my brain has already been skittering around with a sequel idea. And you are correct...in that episode, they said she was a miko and that the battle was this huge thing that lasted 7 days. I went with the idea that after 300 years, the story had gotten told and retold until it became more of a legend, as many stories that get passed down tend to do. :)_

_**Badgerwolf: **I know...that's probably part of what bothers me about chapter 9...going so quickly through so many years, but I really had to make it kind of quick. I didn't want to distract too much from the main focus of the story. I wanted to jump right into the next part. Plus, covering 300 years worth of someone's life would take forever. ;) Thanks!_

_**Angie: **I'm glad you like it enough to add it to your favorites...hopefully I won't do anything to make you delete it. ;)_

_**Aiwendil Amaurea: **Yeah, I was sad over Midoriko, too, but she clearly had to go...poor girl. She'll come up again later, though. She hasn't had her final say. ;)_

_**Blaise:** Oh, wow, am I about to disappoint you. ;) I actually like Kagome a lot...well, the Japanese version, anyway. The English version of her character seems to be a little more annoying...anyway, I seem to have convinced a couple of people that she is dead. Let me just say this...for those that have ever seen a soap opera, you know this is true: If a character dies and there is no body, they're not dead...and even if there is a body, it's probably just their evil twin. ;) Sesshy's reaction to Midoriko's death was realllly hard to do...I was honestly clueless about what to do with that, probably another reason why that chapter gave me a bad feeling. As you've said, he's not an overly sentimental type of guy, but I didn't want him to just shrug and think, "Oh, well, that's how it goes!"_

_**Silver Spell: **Ouch...it caused an injury? ;) Seriously, thank you! And don't be too sad over Kagome….points at next chapter…._


	11. Resolved Separation

**Chapter 11 - Resolved Separation**

_Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump._

"Inuyasha!"

"What?"

"Quit it!"

"Keh!"

Seated on the sloped roof of Kaede's hut, Inuyasha stilled his restlessly tapping foot. He watched as the orange sun started to descend behind the tree tops, taking daylight, as well as his hanyou abilities, along with it. He never enjoyed the experience of reverting to his human form, but he was particularly perturbed by the steady fading on this night. Something was off ... a feeling lingered in the air, something he did not like and he had always been one to heed his instincts. Still, there was nothing to be done about it ... damned human blood.

It would always be this way, he thought morosely, glaring at the defiant sunset. His chance at ever being a full youkai had disappeared with _her_, swiftly, brilliantly, and without expectation or warning. Inevitably, it was these days especially that brought thoughts of Kagome. She had always been very comfortable with his human form, something he still was unable to find within himself. To him it meant weakness, it made him an easy target. It was _infuriating_.

Four years, he brooded sullenly. Four years of nothing. No sudden emergence from the well with an "Ohayo, Inuyasha!", no shriek of "_Osuwari_!" to bring him crashing out of some sort of bad behavior, no moaning over those strange "test" things she always seemed to be taking._ Nothing. _Her voice, her face ... they would not fade, and Inuyasha doubted that they ever would. How fair was it that he wanted more than anything to be with someone that wasn't going to be born for another five hundred years?

_Heh...I guess I'll just have to hold out for a while, huh?_

It was strange how he had been so concerned over the welfare of Kikyou while Kagome had been around, always feeling a sense of duty to keep her alive for as long as she felt the need to be there. Now that both women were gone, one to the afterlife and one likely in a place and time he could not reach, he found that it was Kagome who constantly circled through his thoughts, not his first love.

Part of him had to give some credence to the idea that Kagome could possibly be dead. Her disappearance with the Shikon no Tama could easily have signified the end to her existence, but it was far more acceptable to believe that she had simply been banished back to her own time, back to where she belonged. _The jewel had had the power to bring her here_, Inuyasha thought reasonably, _it should have had the power to return her as well._

But then why was _he_ unable to travel through the Bone-Eater's well? Never before had he been forced to rely on the Shikon shards for passage to Kagome's time; he had always assumed that it was because of his connection to Kagome. If she was dead, then that connection would no longer exist, and there would be no way to travel…

Absent-mindedly fingering the prayer beads around his neck, Inuyasha pushed these anxious thoughts from his mind and braced himself as the sun sunk even lower. Any minute ...

"Inuyasha!" A streak shot up to the top of the roof, and suddenly Shippou was perching beside him, surprising Inuyasha enough to make him jump. _Dammit ... so much for sense of smell ..._

"Don't do that," Inuyasha growled as Shippou turned to look at the sunset that Inuyasha was watching so intently. The young fox youkai leaned back on the roof, dangling his long, skinny legs over the side. It still astounded Inuyasha that something so shrimpy was capable of growing as quickly as _this_ brat had.

"Sango figured you'd be in a bad mood. She sent me to get you," Shippou informed him.

"Not until I'm done," Inuyasha said firmly.

"I'm not supposed to take no for an answer. Come on, it's Kenji's birthday. He'll have to go to bed by the time you're finished turning into a human."

"Then I'll see him tomorrow," Inuyasha muttered, eyes sliding dangerously toward the kitsune.

Shippou sighed and nodded, looking as though he had expected this. His hands raised in a gesture that expressed defeat. "Well, _I_ wanted to do this non-violently, but Miroku said to do what I had to do ..."

"Human or not, I can still kick your ass, Shippou," Inuyasha warned moodily. "And I've got another good half hour's worth of use out of these claws," he added, bringing one flexing hand up to reinforce the statement.

Looking as though he was going to take that threat seriously, Shippou finally shrugged and said half-heartedly, "All right. I'll tell Kenji you wouldn't come. He'll probably cry, you know..."

"Bastard," Inuyasha cursed before jumping off the roof with considerably less fluidity than normal. Every nerve irritatingly aware of the oncoming night, Inuyasha stalked toward Sango and Miroku's home, certain that Shippou was reveling in his success. The village was awash in the smells of cooking dinners and lit fires. Mothers called their children in from playing, leaving the road practically empty as the hanyou made his way to the wooden house at the end of the road.

_Who would have ever thought that I would come to settle in this place?_ Inuyasha wondered. He had never been overly fond of humans, mostly because of how they generally reacted to him, but wandering the country in the constant presence of three such beings had effectively stripped him of any bitterness he had held toward them. After Kagome's disappearance, he really had had nowhere else to go, nothing else to do except return to Kaede's village. When Miroku and Sango had married and decided to make the village their home as well, Inuyasha's remaining there had been a foregone conclusion. What else was he to do? Besides, it was comforting to stay near Kagome's well…

As he entered Miroku and Sango's small house, he was immediately assaulted by a cacophony of shrill barking, short yelps that were screeched from floor-level. Resisting the urge to plug his ears, Inuyasha looked down to find the source to be Kenji, Sango and Miroku's two-year-old son. Seated next to a housecat-sized Kirara, the boy had halted his play with his wooden blocks in order to greet the hanyou he so revered.

"_You_ taught him to do that," Inuyasha said scathingly to Shippou, who entered the house right behind him.

Shippou grinned evilly at Inuyasha as he paused to pat Kenji on the head and then moved to join Kohaku in sniffing hungrily at the food. "What? He's speaking your language."

"Shippou, you little bitch …."

"Inuyasha!" Sango instantly reprimanded, looking significantly at Kenji who was watching Inuyasha with wide brown eyes and listening ears.

Crouching in front of the boy, Inuyasha stared seriously at him, pointing a finger for emphasis. "_Never_ say that."

"Hai!" came the affirmative chirp.

"And quit barking at me."

He was rewarded with a small smile, but no answer of commitment as Kenji returned to stacking his blocks, only to destroy them with great glee the moment they reached the desired height. Inuyasha was constantly amazed at the amount of noise that could come from so small a creature.

"Ah, you came," Miroku's voice echoed from down a hallway. He appeared a moment later and instantly headed for the front door, pausing only to clap Inuyasha on the shoulder as he went by. "We thought we would have to drag you forcibly out of some tree in order to get you here. How kind of you to save us such an ugly scene, my friend."

"You could have planned it for another night," Inuyasha called resentfully after Miroku, who quickly disappeared outside. "It's not like the kid _knows _it's his birthday!" He immediately whirled and seated himself on his haunches in front of Kenji. "How old are you?"

"Two," the boy replied instantly, pushing some of his blocks toward his dog-eared friend.

"Damn," Inuyasha muttered, eliciting another stern "_Inuyasha!" _from Sango. It was true Kenji was extremely smart; in fact, it was almost scary how he absorbed things like a sponge and repeated them later. Thinking this over, Inuyasha smiled widely, his fangs poking over his lips with evil amusement.

"Say, Kenji … do you know what "-baba" means?"

Instantly Sango appeared in his field of vision and hauled Kenji up into her arms, the boy's blocks falling back to the floor with a clatter. "Honestly, between you and Shippou, he's going to become a nightmare," she sighed, settling her son at the table. She then returned to the cooking fire and began stirring a massive pot as Shippou started setting platters of food on the table, practically drooling over the smells that were taunting his sensitive nose.

Miroku returned with Kaede and even more food, leaving Inuyasha to wonder precisely how many people were supposed to be expected at this meal. The room was now swarming with humans and youkai, and Inuyasha felt his self-consciousness return. Reflexively, he tried to twitch his ears and, when they didn't cooperate, reached up to make sure they were still there. Behind him, one of the windows revealed that the orange sunset was quickly morphing into purple twilight.

When everyone moved to seat themselves at the table, Inuyasha knelt stiffly on his floor mat and reached for one of Sango's strange-looking, but delicious-smelling concoctions. Almost simultaneously, his claws rescinded, leaving human fingernails that slid slickly across the outside of the bowl, nearly causing him to drop it. Out of the corner of one eye, he could see that his long hair was now a shiny black instead of its usual silver-white. Looking up at the others at the table, he could not help but notice that all eyes were now riveted on him, some pausing in the process of chewing or reaching for various things. Kenji's eyes were as wide as the bowl he was eating from.

Inuyasha frowned. "What?" he said defensively, silently daring anyone to make a snide comment. "Pass the rice."

Everyone immediately looked studiously elsewhere as Kaede placed the large bowl of fluffy rice in front of Inuyasha. He quickly set about piling a huge mound of the stuff into his own bowl, hunger finding its way to the forefront of his mind now that his humiliation had been secured. Conversation began to flow around him again as he sat and chewed at his dinner, readjusting to the lack of fangs. _Worthless human teeth …. _

As Kohaku discussed how repairs to the old demon exterminators' village were progressing, Inuyasha watched Kenji as the boy began methodically removing the peas from his plate, dropping them on the floor, and clearly taking advantage of his parents' inattention. Silently sympathizing with the child's actions, Inuyasha returned to focusing on what Kohaku was saying.

The reconstruction of the exterminators' village was a project Kohaku had taken on with great urgency, clearly feeling the need to do something productive for his old home. Sango hated the idea of her brother often disappearing for weeks at a time to do the work alone, but at nineteen, Kohaku was no longer a child to be ordered around. Miroku and Sango made trips to help him as often as possible, making Inuyasha wonder why it was that they had not returned to the old village to live permanently. He just assumed they had decided against raising their child in what was essentially a ghost town, one that youkai would probably target as soon as it was inhabited again. Demons had unbelievably long memories and their hatred for the exterminators was likely still fresh on many youkai minds.

Kohaku suddenly stopped in mid-sentence, a deep frown furrowing his forehead as, simultaneously, Miroku and Sango turned their heads toward the door. Picking up on the sudden tension, but not a cause for its source, Inuyasha looked back and forth between the faces. "What?" he asked, annoyed by the fact that, until morning, he was essentially blind, deaf, and devoid of a sense of smell.

"Youkai," Miroku explained, standing and reaching for his staff. Jumping to his feet, Inuyasha hurtled outside of the house, followed at a slightly slower pace by the others. It did not take long to discover the source of the former exterminators' obvious feelings of foreboding. A few of the villagers were standing in the street, watching warily as an ominously familiar white form walked purposefully down the road. Trailing not far behind Sesshoumaru were his obnoxious little toad retainer and a young human woman who, on closer inspection, appeared to somewhat resemble the little girl Sesshoumaru had always allowed to follow him around.

"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha called, barely believing his misfortune. The bastard always picked the worst possible moment to show up, and Inuyasha doubly resented the sun for abandoning him. "What the hell do you want?"

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes took on a malicious glint as he noticed his younger brother's altered appearance. "It seems I've caught you at a bad time, Inuyasha."

"I repeat, _what _do you want?" Inuyasha demanded again, gritting his teeth. _Of all people to see me like this …_

"I've brought something that will interest you," Sesshoumaru answered cryptically, coming to a stop not far away from his brother's tense form.

Inuyasha watched as Sesshoumaru's hand fell to one of the swords at his side, drawing it with a smoothness that set off an instant internal alarm. Immediately he lunged at his older brother, wondering at the last instant precisely what he intended to do with human strength, no claws, and a Tessaiga that would not transform again until morning. Sesshoumaru easily stepped aside as Inuyasha rushed at him, twirling the sword in order to shove the hilt into the oncoming hanyou's face.

Inuyasha dropped like a dead body, collapsing heavily into the dirt. Trying to blink away the stunning effects of the impact, he glared furiously up at Sesshoumaru, blood pouring from what was clearly a broken nose. Sango, Miroku, and Kohaku materialized around him, each wielding a weapon.

"Always so quick to rise to aggression, little brother," Sesshoumaru chided disapprovingly, ignoring the threatening humans entirely. "It's a wonder you've lived so long."

"Bastard … you're the one that drew the sword," Inuyasha swore, rising back to his feet. He was astounded when, instead of attacking, Sesshoumaru simply extended the sword toward him hilt first.

"Look at it," Sesshoumaru instructed, eyes settled on Inuyasha's face, as though awaiting reaction.

Still suspicious as to the precise motives that had brought him here, Inuyasha slowly lowered his eyes to the blade. It seemed ordinary, average on first inspection, but then he noticed that the metal appeared to be fused with fragments of … _something_, shards that glowed a fierce purple-black and eerily resembled …

"Shikon no Tama," Inuyasha breathed, his own words echoing within his ears. He was frozen for a moment, simply staring as the weapon reflected dull light, and then his face lifted, eyeing Sesshoumaru, who was still attempting to hand him the sword.

"Retrieve your miko, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru ordered. "I will wait."

* * *

Stripped of hanyou abilities or not, Inuyasha doubted he had ever run so fast in his entire life. His human lungs gasped for air as he tore through the forest that had served as his prison for half a century, broad tree branches whacking him soundly in the face, vines twisting around his feet and ankles as he shot toward the well with immense speed. He _had_ to get to her. He had to _hurry_ …

Part of his reeling brain expected his brother's streak of cruelty to materialize in a sword that was beset with fake shards; there had to be _some_ trick because there was no way Sesshoumaru would selflessly choose to help him. The weapon in question was clutched severely in one hand, throbbing with a pulse that matched his own manic heartbeat. He surged into the clearing that housed the well, barely able to see the squared wooden outline because of his degraded human sight. It didn't matter. He could have found it in pitch blackness.

Without the slightest hesitation, Inuyasha launched himself into the well. Dropping into its darkness, he was immediately assaulted by the familiar moldy smell of old wet wood, but just as he began to speculate frantically as to whether it would work … whether he would simply crash at the bottom and become the conclusion to Sesshoumaru's big joke …. he felt a familiar tingling, a feeling that had always characterized passage through the well, through time ….

An instant later his feet struck damp earth and Inuyasha instantly looked upward, angrily cursing over the fact that it would have to be the night when he was at his absolute slowest that such an opportunity would present itself. Seizing hold of some of the hand and footholds that were worn into the walls around him, he began to pull himself up out of the darkness.

He emerged in the small building that housed the well and did not bother with trying to be quiet as he shoved open the creaking wooden doors. Kagome's name reverberated inside his skull as he sprinted toward her comfortingly familiar house, experiencing an elation he had not known for a very long time. It would be just like it was before … except this time without Naraku's interference … no constant battling, no searching for the damned shards … just him and Kagome ….

The possibility of entering the house through a door did not even cross his mind as he launched himself up the side of one of the walls, pulling and grappling with the few handholds that presented themselves. With great effort he finally hauled himself up to her window, relieved beyond words to see that the steady glow of her strange light source poured from inside the room. Balancing precariously on the ledge, Inuyasha pressed his hands against the glass in an effort to see inside … and nearly pitched back to ground-level when he saw the figure of a young man seated at her desk, frowning furiously as he read a book.

Sensing that he was being watched, Souta glanced over at the window and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw a bloody face staring intently back at him. Standing so quickly that he practically fell over his chair, he reached steadily for the baseball bat that lay wedged between the desk and the wall, wielding it in what he hoped was an appropriately threatening pose. He watched the strange form that hunkered outside his window, its face pressed to the glass and wearing an expression of astonishment that matched his own.

But … there was something oddly familiar about ….

"Inuyasha!" Souta exclaimed loudly, dropping the bat and rushing over to shove the window aside. "What … _how_ did you … ?"

"Souta … ?" Inuyasha questioned suspiciously, as though not completely convinced that this was to whom he was speaking. The boy had still been just a kid the last time Inuyasha had seen him. He stepped over the window sill and into the room, glancing from side to side at the walls that now held posters of people in strange attire, some of whom were holding the "soccer ball" he had so often spotted Souta playing with during his various visits to pick up Kagome.

This did _not_ look like Kagome's room…

"Where is she?" Inuyasha asked, feeling a moment of dread. Had he been wrong? Had she not been returned to her time? He sniffed futilely at the air, but his sense of smell was not at all capable of picking up her scent.

"She doesn't live here … well, she'll be moving back this weekend, but she's _not_ getting her room back," Souta informed him insistently, as though that was the matter of pressing importance. "Man, is she going to be surpr---"

"Whaaaat?" Inuyasha asked, his already rattled brain not comprehending what he was being told. He reached out and grabbed onto Souta's shirt, pulling the teenager closer with human strength that was motivated by sheer frenzy. "_Where_ is she?"

"In the city, at the university. She's got finals and then she's finished," Souta replied, eyeing with interest the deadly-looking sword held in Inuyasha's grip. "Er … maybe I should give her a call …."

"Let's go," Inuyasha replied, hauling the boy from the room and down the stairs with no small amount of racket. He vaguely heard Kagome's mother calling Souta's name. A light switched on somewhere at the back of the house, but he did not release Souta until they were safely outside, ensconced by the unseasonably cool night.

"Tell me how to get there," Inuyasha requested almost desperately.

Souta shook his head slightly, frowning at Inuyasha's appearance. "Why do you look so weird? And what happened to your face? You're gonna freak sis out if you show up like that."

"_How_ do I _get _to _her_?" Inuyasha repeated through clenched teeth, emphasizing the important words in a manner that suggested deafness on Souta's part.

Souta grinned slyly into Inuyasha's face. "Well, you're in luck, actually. I just got my license."

* * *

Inuyasha had faced countless numbers of youkai, most of whom had been entirely bent on his destruction, _all_ of whom would have terrified a human into an early grave, but as he gripped the seat of the strange contraption Souta was currently navigating through the busy streets of Tokyo, Inuyasha felt certain that he had led the more sedate life. How the _hell_ did these people live in such a place? Weird metal beasts streaking all around, most obviously intent on wreaking massive bodily injury. How was one to tell friend from foe?

"You should wear the seatbelt."

"Eh?" Inuyasha questioned nervously as Souta swerved to avoid side-swiping another of these strange "cars".

"The seatbelt. That thing over your shoulder. It's supposed to keep you from being propelled from the car, should something … unfortunate happen," Souta warned the obviously tense hanyou.

"You just …. lead," Inuyasha stammered quickly. "I've had greater opponents than these."

"They're not opponents, Inuyasha. Just other people in cars, like us."

"Then _why_ are they trying to kill you?"

"They're not. They're just in a hurry to get where they're going." Souta took a moment to honk at someone who was traveling at an obscenely low speed, waving dismissively at the person as they graced him with a rude gesture.

"Does … does Kagome … use one of these things?"

"Yeah," Souta answered, looking aggrieved. "I've told her they should take her off the rode for the betterment of society. You should see that girl behind the wheel of a car. She's scary." He then looked off to the right and apparently found what he was searching for. "Ah, here's our exit."

Inuyasha gripped the seat once more as the car whirled off onto a different tangent, hurtling down a slope, everything whizzing by at a disturbingly high speed that quickly ended as they came upon a snarl of traffic at the end of the ramp. Souta occupied himself by turning a small knob that began issuing a raucous mixture of clanging and tortured human screams. Inuyasha was suddenly grateful that his demon hearing was gone for the night.

Becoming more impatient by the moment, he tapped his fingers restlessly against the metal of the sword that lay across his lap. "How much longer … ?" he finally asked.

"We're almost there, I just need to find a parking space. See that white building over there? That's where she lives, over there on the second floor. See that one with the lights on? That's hers … probably studying all night to pass her last two exams. We've been moving her stuff out for a while, so the place is nearly empt --- _Inuyasha_!"

Souta stared in amazement as the hanyou vaulted himself out of the car's open window and began running down the street, sword in hand.

"Oh, man … Sis is gonna kill me," Souta moaned, watching the rapidly vanishing figure.

* * *

"_Agghh_!" came the frustrated cry. "Houjou-kun, I'm going to flunk," Kagome exclaimed, slamming her pencil down as she glared ferociously at her math book. "They can't do this! It _cannot_ come down to one grade!"

Smiling calmly at the young woman next to him, Houjou replied, "This exam would not mean so much if you had just gotten some help earlier and done better on your other tests. You should have called me sooner, Higurashi. You know I'll always help you."

"Thank you, Houjou-kun. I just … I didn't think I needed so much help," Kagome answered, slightly embarrassed to have to lie to him. The truth was she had not called him sooner because she had not wanted to encourage Houjou's feelings for her, something she had been doing her best to squash for eight years. It had been an act of desperation to call him the night before her final math exam, but he had always been such a good student, particularly at science and higher mathematics. He had graduated nearly two years earlier and was now halfway through medical school. There would have been no one better suited as a math tutor, and so, Kagome had given in to her rising panic.

"Why don't we take a break?" he suggested, marking their place and closing the textbook. "You're very stressed and that is not conducive to a good study environment."

Nodding in agreement, Kagome rose from her seat at the table and poured herself what had to be her sixth cup of coffee that evening. Her mind whirled crazily with theorems, and formulas, and numbers. She highly doubted that sleep would come to her that night. "More coffee?" she asked, but he simply pointed at the two still-full mugs that were sitting in front of him.

"Right, right," she said distractedly, returning to her seat. Glancing around her tiny apartment, she found it hard to believe she was nearly finished and ready to go home. Grandpa and Souta had arrived the weekend before to take the boxed remnants of things she would not need for her last week, moving them back to the shrine so that Kagome would not have the additional stress of relocating everything the weekend after finals. It looked almost bare without her things but, mentally, she was already gone from this place. Living in the city had been a fun adventure, but she would welcome the calm respite that would be the comfort of her real home.

"Have you decided what you'll do next?" Houjou questioned, breaking the heavy silence.

"Hmm? Oh … ah, no, well, I haven't completely decided … maybe teaching … ?"

"You could always try nursing school. I'll need a good one in a few years," he suggested humorously, but Kagome did not doubt that he would love for her to take him up on that offer.

In truth, she had given that career some thought. Her escapades in the Sengoku Jidai had clearly given her a lot of medical experience, as well as a high tolerance for the presence of blood, as it had generally fallen to her and her medical supplies to take care of the various scrapes and injuries they had all acquired. Her heart thumped dully as she morosely wondered what they were all doing now …. _Miroku-sama, Sango-chan, Shippou-chan, Inuyasha …._

Even after four years of separation from them, Kagome still worried frantically over their well-being. Had they survived the battle with Naraku …? Were they okay? Were they happy? And Inuyasha … was he lonely? With both Kikyou and herself gone from his life, she worried over him most of all. In the months after her forced return and apparent exile from the Feudal era, Kagome had dug desperately through history book after history book, texts on myths, legends, and demons; always anxiously searching for a sign of anything that might give a clue about the battle with Naraku, the survivors; something to help put her mind at ease.

_Do they think that I am dead? _she wondered fearfully. How unfair it was for the Shikon no Tama to have brought her into their lives only to have pulled her away without the slightest warning, no way of letting them know that she was okay or for her to ease her own mind about them. _Inuyasha_ … that name brought a strangling hurt. God, she had loved him … and still did. It was so unfair.

Blinking away the sudden gathering of tears, Kagome pulled her math book toward her and flipped aimlessly through the pages.

"It won't be that bad, Higurashi," Houjou said sympathetically, taking her suddenly watery eyes as a sign of frustration instead of heartbreak. "They always try to scare you into thinking that it'll be worse than it is, just so that you'll study harder. You'll do fine, I promise."

Unable to bring herself to reply, Kagome looked up at the clock and noticed how late it was. Nearly midnight. It was going to be a _long_ night….and it was then that something tugged at her mind, a sensation that reminded her of ... shikon shards …? _No, no_, she decided quickly. _I'm imagining things … it's because I was just thinking of him …_

"Houjou-kun, maybe you should go. It's so late and I know you have to be up early," she offered. She looked up at him, but never heard his response as her eyes caught sight of a flash of red outside her living room window. Watching in open astonishment, Kagome saw a hand reach over and slide back the pane with enough force to break the glass. Immediately, a dark-haired form leapt into the room and she felt certain she was about to be pitched into a heart attack.

Houjou jumped to his feet, overturning one of his cups of coffee at the sudden intrusion, spilling the brown liquid all over the table. Kagome barely noticed. A heart-stoppingly familiar man stood barefoot amidst the pile of shattered glass, one hand clutching a very lethal-looking sword.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, recognizing the human form of the hanyou instantly. Before her brain could form a coherent thought about his sudden appearance, Houjou launched himself at the equally amazed Inuyasha who stared back at Kagome as though frozen, clearly paying no attention to the other human in the room.

And it was this inattention that Houjou seized on. The young man rushed at Inuyasha, prepared to wrestle the sword away, but Inuyasha, his moment of shock overcome, quickly whirled and shoved Houjou flat onto his back. Waving the tip of the sword threateningly at Houjou's face, Inuyasha glared stormily down at him and demanded, "What the _hell_ do you think …?"

"_O … osuwari_," Kagome said breathlessly, afraid over what could possibly come of such a fight if Houjou decided to try to be brave again. Instantly, Inuyasha slammed face-first into the worn carpet and Kagome rushed forward to drag Houjou to his feet.

"Call the police," Houjou instructed, pushing her away as he made a move toward the sword again.

"Ahh, no, Houjou-kun, it's just a misunderstanding. It's perfectly all right," Kagome assured him anxiously, grabbing her old friend's jacket and shoving it into his arms as she pulled him toward the door. "Really, thank you very much for the help. I'm actually feeling much better about…"

"Higurashi, you _can't_ expect me to leave you with that ---"

"It's fine, perfectly fine," Kagome insisted, pushing him outside the threshold of the door with shaking hands.

"Kagome ---"

Houjou's voice was cut off by the slam of the door. Kagome immediately turned around and launched herself at Inuyasha, who was picking himself up from the floor, rubbing furiously at his already bruised and bloodied nose.

"_Inuyasha!" _Kagome cried, nearly flattening the hanyou once more with the force of her body as she squeezed him tightly, arms folding around him in a stranglehold, fists clenching handfuls of that familiar fire rat's fur. Again tears pricked at her eyes as she felt the warm solidness of flesh and bone underneath the material. One of her hands curled into the long strands of his hair, instantly comforted and overjoyed to see that he felt the same, looked the same, smelled the same …

In that moment, Kagome could not have cared less about her final exam.

"Ka … Kagome," Inuyasha breathed, squeezing her back with a force that crushed the air from her lungs. His own eyes burned painfully as his arms encircled her. She was perfectly all right...just _perfect_, beautiful, and present. The relief that came from seeing that with his own eyes was overwhelming.

"Are you okay? Are you all okay?" Kagome asked frantically, not releasing her hold on him in the slightest. She felt the slight nod of his head against her ear, and she noticed that her heart felt like it was pounding its way out of her chest, astounded and overjoyed and relieved.

"They're all fine … it was _you_, Kagome, we thought … we wondered if …." Now that he was with her again, clutching at her like a drowning man, he found himself completely unable to voice the fears that had plagued him for so long.

"I've been here the whole time," she said tearfully, pulling back to look him in the face. "I couldn't get back to you … the Shikon no Tama …. Did I do that to you?" she asked suddenly, pointing at his face and looking positively horrified.

He frowned and then realized what she was talking about. "No … no, that was thanks entirely to Sesshoumaru."

"Sesshoumaru? Why did he …?"

"I don't care. It doesn't matter. I'd forgive that bastard for anything at this point."

"What brought you here?" Kagome asked, still tugging at the sleeves of Inuyasha's haori, as though terrified that he might suddenly dematerialize right before her eyes. Inuyasha apparently shared the sentiment because he was holding onto her arms with a death grip of his own.

"It was that sword," Inuyasha explained quietly, glancing to where the weapon lay next to him in a pile of glass shards. "Sesshoumaru brought it to the village and told me to come get you. The shikon shards are inside the blade … I don't know why, I didn't bother to ask him." Inuyasha's face was very serious, but his tone dropped to something lower, warmer, and he pulled her closer. "Kagome …." He tried to think of a way to voice his thoughts and feelings properly, but his mind was still reeling from just being with her again.

As always, Kagome knew him better than anyone and understood without even having to hear him speak. She leaned closer to kiss him, soft lips meeting his, and it was an action that he was all too happy to reciprocate. He finally broke the contact, his human brown eyes boring into hers as he sternly complained, "Don't ever leave like that again."

They were both caught off-guard when the door swung back open, allowing an out-of-breath Souta to rush into the room. He pulled up short, appalled to have stormed right into what had clearly just been an intimate moment.

"I …. ah …," Souta breathed quickly, then threw up his hands in defeat. "At least he broke into the right apartment. See you this weekend, sis. Later, Inuyasha." And with that, he pulled the door closed behind him, more than anxious to leave them alone.

* * *

As often seemed to be the case with the Bone-Eater's well, someone was hovering nearby, watching, waiting …. On this occasion, however, it had less to do with an eagerly anticipated arrival than the simple desire for the watcher to have his business finished so that he could be on his way.

Still as a statue and looking to be almost as perpetual, Sesshoumaru stood in front of the well, peering intently into its depths. He had heard that this was the means with which his brother's human made her way to their era from what was rumored to be a time far beyond their own. The monk, Miroku, had taken great pleasure in revealing to him that this future time was one ruled entirely by humans, not their youkai superiors. Sesshoumaru was having difficulty grasping at a catastrophe sufficient enough to bring such a society about, but if it was to happen, it was not a future that sounded particularly enticing.

Though he was more than ready to continue on his way and leave the human village far behind, there was a part of him that almost hoped Inuyasha would choose not to return. As unlikely as this was, it would solve several problems: the jewel and the sword would fall into the hands of generations far in the future, during a time when demons clearly did not exist in large numbers if at all, thus rendering the weapon obsolete. It would also permanently remove the hanyou from Sesshoumaru's realm of existence, something that was quite appealing.

As soon as the thought formed, he balked at the idea. It was for him to properly dispose of or, at the very least, contain the sword his father had so thoughtlessly created. Leaving its fate in the hands of Inuyasha and a human miko was not particularly palatable.

And there was still the matter of exactly_ why _Midoriko's sword … and the Shikon no Tama…had emerged from obscurity. Sesshoumaru did not believe in coincidences and so took the event as a warning of something to come. Things happened for a reason, there was little in this world that fell to chance, and he was intent on discovering why the sword had suddenly decided to make its presence known again.

As he waited, his eyes peering into the dank depths of the ancient well, Sesshoumaru listened as Rin made her way through the overgrowth not far behind him, quietly for a human, but with an unbelievable racket in terms of a demon's hearing. Adjusting to her presence again was going to take some time, he had been quick to realize. This older Rin resembled the childish Rin in very few ways, not entirely surprising, but still something to become accustomed to. There was no more ceaseless chatter, no insistence that she had behaved in his absence, no torturing of the hapless Jaken; instead she spoke and acted with a maturity he had not expected. He wondered briefly if she was making a similar adjustment to him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" she called quietly, as though not sure whether she should disturb him. When he looked back at her, she took that as her cue to come stand beside him. The shiny white pinpricks of stars overhead cast down enough light to make him appear almost ghostly as he waited for his brother's return, and Rin felt that he was eerily beautiful.

"I've been talking to Kohaku," she said, listening as the chirping insects resumed their noise now that they had become properly accustomed to the presence of another person in the clearing. "He told me how you saved his life."

"I acted against Naraku," Sesshoumaru corrected her.

Smiling at what almost sounded like a defensive statement, Rin voiced one of the worries that had so plagued her during the time when Sesshoumaru had been so insistent in locating Kohaku. "I was afraid that you meant to kill him."

"I _did_ kill him."

"And then you revived him," she reminded him.

"Yes," he admitted. "It would have pleased Naraku for me to kill Kohaku. I responded by removing the boy from Naraku's sphere of influence with his life still intact. Naraku lost a weapon and a puppet in the process."

"I'm glad. I could tell he was a good person … when he wasn't under Naraku's influence, that is," she amended. "He deserved to survive Naraku."

Rin took a few steps forward and peered curiously into the blackness of the old well. "Is it true, what he said?" she asked, referring to an earlier conversation with Miroku. "Do you think this girl really does come from another time?"

"I have seen stranger things."

Another silence fell between them as they both regarded the well, and Rin decided to seize on her moment alone with him to ask about a more personal matter. "Sango was saying that Inuyasha loves this girl … Kagome. He'll probably be very grateful to you for giving him a way to return to her."

"I doubt that," Sesshoumaru replied wryly. Gratitude was not something that came naturally to Inuyasha, nor was it something Sesshoumaru desired.

Rin glanced up at him, wondering just how many questions she would be able to get away with. She was aware that Sesshoumaru and his brother had a tense relationship, but even she had been surprised by the hostility of their encounter earlier that evening. "He's a hanyou, correct? So you will probably outlive him."

"I guarantee it," came the emphatic reply.

"Do you think the two of you will ever move beyond your argument? If Inuyasha apologized ---"

"There is nothing between us that requires his apology," came the quick answer.

Rin blinked in surprise, as much at this revelation as the fact that he was actually speaking to her about the subject. "Then why are you so angry with him?"

"You mistake anger for dislike," he answered easily, looking at her with what seemed to be curiosity. "Why does this interest you so?"

"I don't know," she spoke slowly, recalling the fading memories of her parents and brother. They were distant pictures now, bits and pieces of voices and faces and moments that were separated from her by nearly a decade. "I think when you experience the loss of your family it's natural to hope that those around you will appreciate their own families for as long as they have them."

Sesshoumaru was quiet for so long that Rin wondered if he was signaling the end of the conversation, but then he responded. "Individuals adhere to family for purposes of comfort, protection, familiarity, shared background. These are things that neither I nor Inuyasha require from each other. Therefore, there is nothing to resolve. His eventual demise will not effect my life."

"How sad for you both," Rin said quietly, meaning it sincerely. Loss of loved ones was difficult to experience, but she could not imagine anything worse than having no one to grieve over at all.

Sesshoumaru looked at her in surprise._ Is that pity I am hearing? _he thought. And for what reason? He would not miss Inuyasha when his death came. Why would one miss something that was of no consequence in their life? It was because of bad choices on the part of Inutaisho that Inuyasha walked the earth at all. By all rights, the hanyou should not even exist.

Sesshoumaru turned from the well, gesturing for Rin to follow him. "You'll need to stay in the village for the night. It is clear that he does not intend to return any time soon."

* * *

Morning dawned in Kagome's apartment to find a ravenous Inuyasha, having comfortably resumed his hanyou form, eagerly slurping down a second cup of ramen noodles. Kagome ran frantically back and forth from her bedroom to the kitchen, wading through piles and piles of review papers, books, study guides, and all manner of objects before finally finding the items she was searching for.

"I.D. … and a pencil." She looked quietly desperate, as she held them up for Inuyasha's inspection. "I'm ready," she said, nodding to herself as though verifying the fact. "Oh! Calculator!" she exclaimed, diving into the pile once more before pulling up, looking frazzled. "Can we use a calculator? I'll take it anyway."

She then paused in the center of the apartment, Inuyasha watching her with rapt interest. Whatever these exams were, they were clearly unhealthy. He had never seen Kagome so worked up over a test.

"Okay, I'm leaving. Inuyasha," she said, pointing at him with sudden vehemence. "Don't touch anything that beeps or lights up, got it? Or just … don't touch _anything_! I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"And then we leave?" he asked, sounding sulky.

"Yes," she said, smiling brightly and looking slightly saner. "Absolutely. But don't leave this apartment! And don't answer the door … or the phone …."

"Go take the damned test, woman!" Inuyasha finally exclaimed, shoving the cup of ramen down on the table with enough force to send noodles slopping over the sides.

"Right," Kagome agreed, her swift exit followed by the clicking sounds of a door being securely locked.

Inuyasha looked about as he found himself surrounded by an empty, silent apartment, eyeing the room suspiciously. "What's a _phone_ …?" he wondered aloud, before resuming his breakfast.

* * *

The village was slow to wake from sleep the next morning, activity quietly resuming itself after a long night of discontent over the presence of a youkai at the home of the monk and the demon exterminator. This rumor was easily confirmed as the demon in question was seated outside Miroku and Sango's house, his patience clearly wearing thin as Kirara, seemingly permanently transformed into her larger form, glowered at him with an unblinking red stare. She hovered over Kenji like a wolf over its litter.

He watched Kirara with vague interest, finding it odd that of all the creatures present, it was this beast that understood the ramifications of the presence of Midoriko's sword far more than her human companions. Nearby, Rin was seated next to Kohaku and Shippou, looking completely enthralled by a tale the young human man was expounding on, his hand gestures giving off hints as to the drama of the story.

Kohaku and Rin had been quick to resume the friendship they had shared as small children, something Sesshoumaru was not entirely pleased about. True, he had restored the boy's life, but not out of kindness or sympathy. It had purely been an assault on Naraku. Sesshoumaru had simply removed a weapon from his enemy's arsenal while, at the same time, irritating the hell out of the hanyou bastard by bringing the boy back to life.

Kohaku was a weak byproduct of his species' inferior breeding. He was too soft-hearted, not at all suitable for Rin, particularly so since the evolution of their relationship would mean that either Rin would reside in a village that also housed Inuyasha (_who attracted more trouble than anyone Sesshoumaru had ever known_) or perhaps in Kohaku's old village, the one that had also been home to Midoriko long ago and practically bore a bull's-eye as far as the youkai population was concerned. This definitely did not sit well.

Rin looked up at him, as though feeling the weight of his stare from several feet away, but a sudden shrill barking sound diverted Sesshoumaru's attention. He looked down to see the monk's annoying offspring yelping at his feet.

Almost instantly, Shippou moved to pull the child away, swinging him up into his arms, warning as he did so. "No, Kenji. That one bites back," Shippou said, pausing to give Sesshoumaru a distrusting glare before disappearing into the house with the boy. Kirara gave a low growl and turned to trot inside as well.

Thankfully, it was then that the familiar reek of hanyou wafted through the air, followed quickly by the arrival of Inuyasha and the woman it had apparently taken him nearly twelve hours to retrieve. Sesshoumaru stood, preparing a properly scathing welcome, but was caught off guard when the inhabitants of the house behind him shoved past him in their haste to greet their long-absent friend.

"Kagome-chan!" Sango shrieked gleefully, grasping Kagome in an almost painful embrace the instant Inuyasha bent to let her off his back. A moment later, she was set upon by an equally ebullient Miroku who simply grabbed the girl and kissed her full on the lips, prompting a sniping comment from the half-demon.

"Kagome-sama, you have no idea how worried we've been…"

"I do! How do you think I've felt all alone on that side of the well? I had no idea if …. _Shippou_!" she squealed as she caught sight of the fox youkai that was now nearly as tall as she was and immediately wrapped her arms around his thin body, all but crushing him.

"Kagome, you've missed so much ---" Shippou began in a rush, as she turned to greet Kirara and Kohaku, but he was cut off by another excited shriek as Kagome pulled Kenji out of his uncle's arms. The little boy glanced wildly around him, looking as though he was not sure whether to be terrified or thrilled, as the others around him appeared to be.

"Miroku-sama, I can't believe it. You_ finally _convinced someone," Kagome said, kissing Kenji on the top of his dark head.

"It was just a matter of wearing her down until she gave in," Miroku grinned.

Inuyasha moved away from the group of overly-excited humans, catching sight of Sesshoumaru, who was still standing near the house, watching them without expression. His hand rested lightly on the hilt of the sword Sesshoumaru had brought him, and his tone was still suspicious as he spoke to his brother in a tone that was uncharacteristically non-confrontational.

"Why did you bring me this? I'm sure it was not done out of kindness."

"She purified the shards," Sesshoumaru commented, ignoring the question as he realized that he no longer sensed the darkly overpowering aura that had claimed the weapon from the moment Rin had found it.

"Yeah."

"Then return the sword to me. My business is finished here," Sesshoumaru ordered, the words immediately initiating a defiant stare-down between the two demons.

Overhearing this, Kagome moved quickly to stand next to Inuyasha. "Wait … if you take that sword with you, I'll have no way to get back here."

"That is hardly my concern," Sesshoumaru replied coldly, sounding completely uninterested.

"The Shikon no Tama should not be in the hands of a youkai, particularly not a strong one," Kagome insisted firmly. She was not about to let Sesshoumaru quietly leave with that jewel. It had caused too much pain, too many problems. And though she had witnessed subtle changes in their dealings with the youkai lord over the years they had spent tracking down Naraku, she was not at all willing to trust the jewel in his hands.

Sesshoumaru regarded Kagome coolly, as though internally judging her worth. "You were once the jewel's guardian," he stated.

"In a manner of speaking," she answered, not entirely certain what he was leading toward.

With a swift movement that Inuyasha barely saw, Sesshoumaru reached and pulled the sword away from his brother, the gem-like luster of the shards glowing a brilliant purple-pink. This Shikon no Tama, Sesshoumaru thought, had obviously chosen Kagome and her previous incarnation, Kikyou, to see to its security. He did not precisely understand why this was, but the girl's connection to it was irrefutable.

"Remove the shards from this sword," he said finally, "and I will allow them to remain in your keeping."

"_Remove_ them?" Kagome repeated, looking from the expressionless youkai lord to the gleaming metal of the blade. Could she do such a thing …? She had fused individual shards together before, but this was different … wasn't it? Placing one hand on the sword, Kagome summoned up old, nearly dormant abilities...

She was rewarded with a steady glow that grew stronger and stronger until it forced the others grouped around them to look away from the blinding light. Only Sesshoumaru and Kagome looked on as, piece by piece, the shards pulled together in the palm of her hand. Closing her fingers around them, Kagome took a step back and, instantly, the light died out. A familiar round weight was settled in her fist and, when she opened it, the Shikon no Tama gleamed back at her, whole once more.

"It obviously chooses to respond to you." Sesshoumaru was the first to speak, watching as Kagome regarded the glittering ball with a mixture of relief and trepidation. "I leave it in your care." He then lowered Midoriko's sword and turned away from them, preparing to leave, his companions moving to follow him.

"Miko," Sesshoumaru suddenly called to Kagome, turning to look back at where she still stood beside Inuyasha, holding onto the Shikon no Tama, "perhaps this time you'll refrain from shattering it?" he wryly suggested, before continuing down the dirt road.

* * *

Within the depths of an overgrown forest that had been all but abandoned by the presence of humans and youkai alike, the remains of an ancient temple stood, its wood pillars slowly crumbling under the onslaught of weathering, time, and disrepair. The forest had encroached upon it to the point that trees were shoving up through the rotting floorboards, reaching hungrily for the scattered sunlight that poured in from the collapsing roof. The place crawled with snakes, rats, and all manner of vermin, all of which had been quick to make their home within the temple's confines in the absence of a human inhabitant.

And it was to this scene that Ashrem woke, prying open long unused eyes that felt as though they were weighted down. It was hours before he summoned enough energy to move his stiff, unusable muscles in even the slightest of ways, first with the twitch of a fingertip, then that of a toe, all of which resulted in an excruciating agony as blood surged once more through starved organs, lungs inhaling with a difficulty that came from long disuse. He felt as though he was trying to breathe underwater.

For nearly two days he continued to lie there, trying to piece together precisely what had wrought his spontaneous regeneration from stone to living, breathing body. Night gave way to day and then to night again, a passage that was easy to determine as he was lying directly under a gaping hole in the roof that allowed rain to pour down on him mercilessly.

_That bitch,_ he thought with grim satisfaction. She had finally let him go. He had known Midoriko would eventually succumb to the smothering darkness that had come with the sealing of the hanyou Naraku. She had been worn down, slowly, methodically over the years until finally she had been unable to hold onto the evil that pressed in around her. She had given in, and what was most amusing, and perhaps ironic, was the fact that she had, effectively, been defeated by the very soul she had chosen to guard her abilities from evil.

That miko …. the one called Kagome … he remembered. It had been she who had so desperately attempted to defeat Naraku by sealing him within the jewel and, thus, it had been she who had overwhelmed Midoriko, shutting down the jewel until … now. It seemed that Midoriko's weariness had finally beaten her.

He laughed then, the sound coming out as something more like a dry, shuddering cough, and forced his painfully stiff muscles into action, pulling himself to his knees. He felt as though his body was about to snap in half every inch of the way.

He was pleased to see that the wounds Inutaisho had inflicted on him no longer existed. That bastard would never see what was coming for him. Ashrem was not entirely certain of how much time had passed, but it had obviously been several years, long enough for his home to fall into disrepair. It did not matter. His abilities were still intact, as was his link to poor Midoriko …. or rather all that remained of her …. the heart that had served as his prison, as well as that of countless vengeful youkai. The Shikon no Tama.

He was aware that it now lay, once again, in the hands of the miko Kagome, and though that would likely present some obstacles, her powers obviously being great enough to manipulate the jewel in her own right, Ashrem did not doubt that the battle over the control of the jewel would result in his victory.

There had been the other girl as well … this one younger than the miko who now possessed the Shikon no Tama. That girl had been the one who had apparently instigated Midoriko's decision to relinquish the seal and release those that had been trapped within the jewel. Ashrem had no clear idea as to the identity of the girl, but he found it especially intriguing that Sesshoumaru had felt such a keen desire to save her from herself, preventing her from using that sword against the boar demon. It seemed Inutaisho's son had decided to involve himself with yet another human. That fact, Ashrem did not doubt, would prove to be most useful in the future.

* * *

**To the Reviewers:**

_**Badgerwolf: **Yeah, I did, but the thing about jumping past the canon storyline is that, any day now, the manga might completely mess things up! LOL! For one thing, the 3rd movie is due to come out in December and, from what I've been able to tell from the trailers, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's dad is going to be in it, along with Inuyasha's mom. We should be getting some concrete names for them then, I think. Ah, well … there's always "search and replace" in Microsoft Word. ;)_

_**Wethril: **Thanks for the encouragement! You've been lots of fun … sorry to leave you hanging for the past several days. I've just barely been online. glares at professors_

_**Snowecat: **Don't worry, I'll absolutely finish this. I didn't plan this thing out the whole way just to leave it unfinished … that would make me crazy! Glad you like it … and about my portrayal of Sesshoumaru, what's funny is I'm sort of drawing off my interpretation of him from both the English and Japanese versions. Anyone who's seen both probably knows that there's a bit of a difference between English!Sesshy and Japanese!Sesshy. But, of course, there's a big difference in the English and Japanese Inuyasha, too … mostly the way he speaks. Japanese Inuyasha is a pretty foul-mouthed guy. ;)_

_**Aiwendil: **Awww, thanks! And me, too, about Rin. I didn't originally intend for the Midoriko storyline to go for as long as it did … it just sort of happened. Again, sorry it took so long. Darn that real life stuff. ;)_

_**Blaise: **Yeah, I'm one of the few people that actually likes Jaken a lot. He's such an arrogant little thing. It's cute when he hangs out with Rin … he's like her babysitter. ;) And about a Rin/Sessh ending …. I'm still not certain on that, actually. Like I told my beta buddy, Sesshoumaru is the kind of guy who would move slooooooowly on something like that, particularly if it was a human. That's why I was considering a sequel, but as long as it won't turn out horribly, I'd like them to end up together at the end of this. If not precisely "together", then heading down that path. Of course, there's always the urge to stick her with Kohaku. ;)_

_**Silver Spell: **LOL! Thanks …. I'm just hoping it's not too complicated. I'm not sure if my writing is expressing my thoughts clearly enough. Damn, I hate it when that happens. Essentially, Midoriko is the jewel, which means that a revived Ashrem would still have a hold over her. In other words, he can use the Shikon no Tama without even having to touch it. Kagome's going to be busy. ;) Of course, naturally, the sword also has a connection to Midoriko … one that Rin will begin to discover in the next chapter or so._

_**Lashka the White Rose: **Hmmm …. what am I doing? Beyond drowning in homework, not much unfortunately. ;) Sorry about the long wait. It's been crazy around here!_

_**Wingless Angel: **Suspense? Oooooh … cool. That's always good to create, I think. And I agree, Midory is a kawaii name. ;)_


	12. Adjustments

**Chapter Twelve - Adjustments**

She followed along in the near pitch blackness, guided by the tall white form that walked ahead, his steps as sure as if it had been broad daylight. Jaken trudged not far behind her. He was always easy to spot; his bright yellow eyes glowed out from the darkness every time she looked behind her. Even if there had been moonlight available to them, Rin doubted she would have been able to find it useful, so thickly had the trees above them grown together. A heavy black blanket of branches and leaves hung overhead, making it seem as though they were wandering through an endless tunnel.

Rin had been quick to realize that it would take a while to recondition herself to Sesshoumaru's way of life. No longer was she accustomed to sleeping outside or wandering the forests incessantly. As a small child, that issue had been resolved by the presence of Ah-Un, who had served as protector, transportation, and often, a mobile bed, one that her sore muscles were beginning to longingly recall. But she would not complain; it was for her to keep up with him. With Jaken around to complain about her, the issue of her human frailties seemed always to be at the forefront of anything that came out of his mouth. _The little jerk_, she thought, annoyed. Now it was easy to remember why she had so often harassed him when she had been a child.

Thinking back to those times, she wondered over the reasons that had brought Sesshoumaru to the decision to allow her to travel with him. At the time she had not viewed herself as a burden, but now she did not doubt that that was precisely what she had been. An eight-year-old human child was no match for the stamina of an adult demon. She had held him up, slowed him down, likely bothered him greatly, and had required nothing short of several rescues from him and Jaken.

She looked up at him from a few steps behind, watching as he walked steadfastly ahead of her. He had never failed her, never said a harsh word, and had always been unbelievably patient with her. It was strange reconciling those fond memories with the new things she was seeing in him now.

And she _did_ see him differently. Rin recognized that he was, without a doubt, a very dangerous being, one who radiated a threatening aura, something that she really had not seen in him as a child. Certainly she had witnessed no shortage of bloodshed wrought by him, but she had never questioned it, her mindset having been that whatever Sesshoumaru-sama did was right, and good, and above reproach. Now as she recalled that day long ago when she had happened upon him injured in the forest, she considered herself very lucky that it had been _him_ she had found instead of another demon with, perhaps, more of a homicidal tendency toward little human girls. It was scary how completely devoid of fear she had been.

Now it was perhaps easier to see the flaws; there was a darkness to him that she had never realized before. This observation did not provoke fear in her; she was certain that harm would never come to her from him, but it did make her believe that perhaps she had not known him as well as she always thought she had. Even so, she decided, it did not matter. The qualities she had admired in him as a young girl were still there ... now, though, she recognized the things about him that brought fear to the eyes of his opponents, the qualities that made Jaken cower with barely a glance. Rin couldn't help but wonder if anyone really did know him at all ...

These thoughts did not dim her view of him. If anything they made her curious about this man she had always viewed with such childish adoration, and made her resolve to know him better. Quickening her steps, she moved to walk beside him, practically having to take two steps for every one of his. He looked at her as she drew up alongside him, likely expecting her to say something.

"Yes?" he finally inquired.

"I just thought I'd walk with you," she answered lightly.

Upon hearing this, she noticed that he slowed his steps visibly to more easily accommodate hers. They walked on in silence for a while, Rin's mind searching for something to talk about. There were many things she wanted to ask, but somehow she was unable to gather the nerve. _He _is_ intimidating_, she thought, glancing quickly up at his impassive profile. How easily she had always chattered at him before…

A brilliant flash of lightning split the sky overhead, brightly enough to light their path even through the heavy leaves. Sesshoumaru did not break his stride as he peered up into the leafy canopy above them, but it was not long before rain began to descend, falling through the branches to splatter on their uncovered heads. Rin shielded her eyes as a driving wind picked up, rushing around the tree trunks to send sharp daggers of water into her face. Behind her, she could hear Jaken grumble something unintelligible as he, too, bent his head against the sudden storm.

Sesshoumaru paused then, internally debating what to do. Under normal circumstances such weather would not faze him, but having a human in tow once more changed the situation. Rin and her kind were not built to withstand much in the way of violent weather. As the thought crossed his mind, a sizzling electric current rent the air, sending a warning down his spine. It proved to be a precursor to the lightning strike that suddenly shot down from the dark skies above to ignite a tree just ahead of them.

Rin jumped from the sudden explosion and even Jaken gave a squawk of surprise. Reflexively, Sesshoumaru reached out to grip her arm, dragging her out of the way as scorched tree limbs crashed down to the muddy ground not far from where they had been standing. The smell of burnt wood choked the air as he altered their course and moved closer to the hillside at the edge of the forest, searching for some sort of shelter to wait out what was looking to be a vicious early summer storm. Rin trailed after him, her heartbeat's attempt at pacing itself back to normal audible to his ears.

By the time he located something suitable, which was little more than a rocky outcropping hovering over damp, weed-infested earth, all three were drenched to the skin, water pooling off of their fingertips and clothing. As an irritated Jaken paused to wring the water out of his small black hat, Rin seated herself with her back against the natural stone wall behind her, looking down and out at the valley below them. A fierce wind was flattening the treetops with a sheet of rain that was so thick it cast an eerie gray veil over the forests below. Sesshoumaru remained outside, his long white hair and fluffy pelt billowing fiercely in the wind.

Squeezing the water from her own soaked black hair, Rin glanced up over her head, noticing that the height of the outcropping likely would not accommodate someone as tall as Sesshoumaru, at least not without him having to bang his head on the rocky ceiling. A flash of guilt prompted her to move out from under the shelter to speak with him and, immediately, she was assaulted once more by the angry storm.

"Should we find someplace else?" she yelled at him above the wind. "You can't just stand out here like this!"

He looked down at her, sopping white tendrils of hair hanging heavily over his forehead. "I am already wet."

"But you'll ---"

"Become sick? You know better than that. Go back inside. This is the best we're going to find around here."

"Well…what if you get struck by lightning?" she tried again, looking warily up at the sky as yet another bolt crackled against the inky darkness.

"I will be irritated," he replied seriously, exasperatedly eyeing the girl who was now so thoroughly drenched one would have thought she had been tossed fully clothed into a raging river. He turned to regard his short retainer, who, having seen that his esteemed master was not joining the human inside the shelter, had settled himself almost defiantly out in the rain. Rivulets of water streamed down Jaken's staff and off of his pointy nose as he blinked his large eyes against the rainy onslaught.

"Jaken," Sesshoumaru called, "go find something that's dry enough to burn."

Jaken's amphibian face formed an expression that could have not been more aghast if Sesshoumaru had requested that he use the Staff of Heads to render _himself_ into a cheerfully blazing bonfire. He did not dare complain, however, and Rin watched as he shuffled off down the sloped hill, no doubt cursing her and her infuriating human need to avoid long periods of being cold and wet.

Sesshoumaru turned back to admonish Rin, who was still standing beside him. "You were far more obedient when you were a child." And this time Rin took that as the request it was meant to be, stepping in out of the rain to sit idly, watching worriedly as the storm poured down on the demon outside.

By the time Jaken returned triumphantly clutching a mixed pile of twigs and dry leaves, the storm had somewhat abated, having worn itself out with its own fury. Jaken scurried under the overhang, his green skin shining in the darkness from the soaking he had received, shoveling the whole mass of kindling into Rin's lap.

"There. Figure out how to light it, girl."

"That won't be a problem," she replied nonchalantly, put off by his haughtiness. Now silently praying that she would be able to follow through on that boast, she set about trying to coax a fire, Jaken raucously mocking at her efforts the entire way. When smoke began to appear, followed by a small flame, she could not help but smirk at him.

As much as he ridiculed her for being incompetent, Jaken seemed to enjoy the warmth that came from the fire, which quickly offset the coolness of the storm. In almost no time, the little green toad was sprawled out on the ground, yellow eyes lolled back in his head, tiny clawed feet twitching in sleep. Rin watched him with amusement as she huddled next to the fire, wishing that at least her hair would hurry up and dry. It was becoming _cold_.

She glanced outside once more, waiting impatiently for the rain to stop. Sesshoumaru was still out there, though he had finally seated himself to wait out the storm. _He looks positively drowned_, Rin thought, rising to her feet and hunching awkwardly so that she could move to the edge of the overhang. She seated herself once more, this time a few feet away from him.

"We'll move on as soon as it stops," he said without inflection, looking impressively unperturbed by his sodden state.

"All right," she agreed.

He turned to look at her, golden eyes piercing through the dark and giving off a faint animalistic glow. "You're not going to get dry if you sit there."

"I can feel the fire from here," she replied quietly. "You shouldn't have to sit out here alone all night."

He eyed the height of the overhang once more, looking unimpressed. "Short of decapitation, that is precisely what I have to do."

She smiled at him, feeling a sudden surge of affection. "We can move on whenever you're ready. Surely we're not that far from your home?"

"At our current pace, If we leave in the morning, we will be there by nightfall."

In her mind's eye, Rin tried to picture the old house she had once called her own home. Rarely had they ever spent more than a day or two at a time within its walls, so insistent had Sesshoumaru always been about resuming their search for Naraku, but she had loved returning to the place because it very much reflected the personality of its owner: clean, calm, a bit austere, but comfortable even so. Her own room had been in direct contradiction to the rest of the house, always full of flowers or random odds and ends she would find during their travels. She had also been quick to commandeer the few things in the house that actually contained color, this effort resulting in an odd mixture of Sesshoumaru's family's things and her own accumulated treasures. Jaken had always been dismayed by her room for its eclectic compilation of items that had belonged to youkai that, though long dead, had been the ancestors of his master and, thus, should be viewed with a similar reverence. A vibrant red and gold robe had been one of the first things to come into contention, an item that Rin had found lying in an old trunk in one of the vacant rooms. Rin had thought it would be a beautiful addition to her bed, but Jaken had almost choked in appall when he had witnessed what she had done…

"_You…! How dare you show such disrespect, you stupid girl? That was Inutaisho-sama's!" Jaken had sputtered at her, green fist waving._

"_It's not disrespectful, Jaken-sama!" Rin had declared, raising her chin haughtily. "I am taking good care of it! And it was lying in a box!"_

"_Have you no thought as to other people's belongings? Sesshoumaru-sama is going to be furious with you!"_

"_No, he's not," Rin had instantly replied, but her young face had reflected her uncertainty._

The entire affair had been resolved by the presence of the demon lord himself, who had swept into the room, frowning at the amount of noise they had been creating. Jaken had been quick to report Rin's bad behavior, but it was the little girl who had been vindicated when Sesshoumaru had simply called Jaken a "sentimental fool" and left them to their argument.

Now Rin could see Jaken's point of view. It had been rather audacious of her to paw through Sesshoumaru's things as she had done, but at the time she had seen no harm. It had made her feel more at home in a house that had struck her as too large, too quiet, and full of too many shadows.

Another streak of lightning creased the sky, though this time much further in the distance. She wondered momentarily about Kameko and Kisho back at the village, both likely long asleep and completely oblivious to the storm that was heading their way. She missed them already, but…. She watched the profile of the demon a few feet away from her, and wondered suddenly if it was possible to have two places one considered home.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" she called quietly, anxious not to wake Jaken now that he was securely unconscious and not digging at her with some sort of insult. "Do you think this is over? Now that Kagome has the Shikon no Tama…and you have the sword?"

Sesshoumaru pondered the question for a moment before giving her an answer. The matter of reducing the weapon's ability to destroy had been accomplished, but there was still a need to discover why this event had occurred so suddenly. The jewel did not act of its own accord; its power was brought out by the influence of others and, with that fact firmly established, what or who had caused it to resurface? He looked back at the young woman who watched him so intently, awaiting his answer. Had it been her…? No, he decided, there was nothing about Rin that spoke of supernatural abilities. She was as much an average human as any other.

"For now, the issue is settled. I am going to find a way to destroy this sword, but there are many questions still unanswered. Unfortunately, I do not know of anyone who would have the answers I am looking for," he replied to her. _So we wait_, he thought silently. _We wait and see what happens._

Eyeing the hilt of the sword he was speaking about, Rin added quickly, "Do you think it's wise to destroy it? I'm sure it could be useful if ---"

"The one who is meant to wield it has been dead for three centuries. Its purpose is to purify a youkai's demonic aura, youki, which is stressful enough to kill almost any demon. It will be best for both demons and humans alike if this sword is destroyed."

"Will I be returning to Kameko now?" Rin asked almost hesitantly, ears distantly registering the slowing rain. As much as she missed her former guardian and the little boy she had come to regard as a brother, she was not ready to leave Sesshoumaru again. He was important to her and the idea of not seeing him for a very long time or, perhaps, ever again, made her anxious.

"Is that what you wish?" he asked, studying her carefully, his own face as unreadable as ever.

"No," she answered honestly, and a little too quickly. "I would like to stay with you if you will let me, at least for a little while. But it can't be terribly convenient for a demon to have a human trailing after him."

"No, it isn't," he agreed with a subtle nod of the head. Rin kept her features level so as to avoid making her disappointment visible, but his next words and the sly amusement that crept into his tone brought her smile back. "But, as you are aware, I have been known to make an exception."

Relieved that her place with him had been restored, Rin settled in to watch as the rain slackened bit by bit. The quiet moment was soon broken by the onset of loud snoring on the part of Jaken, a sound that Sesshoumaru quickly rewarded with a well-aimed rock that smacked his retainer right on the nose, causing him to sit up from sleep and look around wildly.

"Your company is entirely preferable to his," Sesshoumaru told Rin wryly, before turning again to look out at the valley below.

* * *

As Sesshoumaru had predicted, they arrived at his home just as the sun was setting in the distance. Rin, however, did not allow the lack of proper daylight to keep her from hurrying to the stable that housed Ah-Un. The double-headed beast was already curiously looking up from its dinner as the door was pulled open and she rushed in.

"Ah-Un!" Rin exclaimed, waiting to make sure the dragon recognized her before extending two hands to pet its leathery twin snouts. The beasts' heads bobbed in greeting, snorting loudly as one nose reached out to nuzzle at the top of Rin's dark head.

"I missed you," she told the animal fondly. Ah-Un had become her much beloved companion from the moment Sesshoumaru had turned the animal over to her. It had taken some time to get him to like her as much in return, since he had been quite unused to the constant touch and attention of a human girl, but he had adapted to her quickly, becoming her loyal defender.

"And I bet you haven't had a proper bath since the last time I gave you one, am I right?" she scolded, giving him a good scratch behind the ears.

"Jaken would be offended to hear you say that," Sesshoumaru's voice came from behind her, sounding not at all opposed to the toad youkai hearing the words for himself. "He has practically drowned himself on a number of occasions trying to wash that beast."

Rin looked over her shoulder as Sesshoumaru walked into the dark enclosure. "That's strange. Ah-Un never gave me any trouble…"

"Ah-Un _likes_ you," Sesshoumaru reminded her.

Grinning widely at the mental image of Jaken trying to drag the enormous animal to any body of water that would be deep enough to serve as a suitable bath, Rin gave the dragon a final pat and then turned toward the house, Sesshoumaru following behind her.

The gray stone and wood structure sprawled across the landscape, dominating it completely, ringed by an unbroken forest of trees. Overly-wet grass sunk underneath her feet as she walked toward the front steps that extended from the house. She ascended them, noticing that the wooden stairs creaked in all the same places they had before. Inside, she found that Jaken had already set about lighting the lamps, all of which burned cheerfully in their brackets on the stone walls. With undisguised interest, Rin wandered into the main room, Sesshoumaru shadowing her from behind.

"Everything is exactly the same," she finally commented, reaching out to touch an odd-looking statue-like decoration that had always reminded her of an angry, open-mouthed demon. "But nothing around you ever changes very much, does it, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

He said nothing in reply, but watched her as she moved to look at one of the swords that had belonged to his great-grandfather, her reflection shining back at her in the orange light. "Except me," she amended her earlier statement, smiling slightly as she turned to glance at him. "But that's to be expected."

"You have changed very much," he agreed quietly. "I would not have recognized you."

And indeed he would not have. It was disconcerting, reconciling the perpetually buoyant little girl he had known before with the far calmer young woman standing before him now. She continued to study him wordlessly, making him wonder why it was that she looked at him so intently. Her gaze finally broke and she ended her inspection of the room.

This place, all these things that spoke of him reminded her forcefully of those years of worry and doubt that had shadowed her while she had lived with Kameko; all the unanswered questions and the promise to come for her that had been broken. She felt that she understood why he had made the decision to leave her to her human life, but there still existed a hurt brought on by the fact that, if not for the recovery of Midoriko's sword, she most certainly would not have seen him again.

Sesshoumaru watched as her expression changed to something more distant, sadder, a reflection of some internal debate he could not see. The old Rin would have simply blurted out what was bothering her. This one apparently meant to keep her thoughts to herself. And so she did as she excused herself from him with the insistence that she wanted to find her room.

Rin had no problem locating her old bedroom, her troubled heart quickly soothed by the rediscovery of the many things she had left behind, or, rather, the things she had not had the opportunity to take with her to Kameko's village. Sesshoumaru was the type to act as soon as his mind was made up. He had done just that when he had come to his decision about where she needed to be placed while he continued his hunt for Naraku.

It seemed he and Jaken had not touched anything in the room while she had been gone. Everything was still precisely as it had been, as though caught in a moment in time that still waited for a cheerful little girl in an orange-and-yellow kimono to come bursting through the door. She lifted things from tables and drawers, inspecting them before placing them back where they belonged. Opening one box displayed a vast array of dried, crumbling flowers, some single, some tied together with various bits of string.

_His bouquets_, she thought, grinning widely. How certain she had always been that they were perfectly legitimate gifts. Now it was enough to make her laugh, thinking about all the times she had shoved a handful of these things, most nothing more than weeds, into his hands. They had been a physical expression of feelings she had been too shy to voice. He had always returned them to her and she had taken the duty of keeping track of them very seriously, placing them all carefully in the box. Shaking her head with amusement, Rin pulled the lid down once more and put it back underneath the table.

_He should have been sainted for putting up with that_, she thought. If ever there was an individual who would _not_ appreciate a bouquet of flowers, it was Sesshoumaru. How funny that she could see that now….

Feeling suddenly weary and anxious to rest her sore muscles, Rin stepped out of the kimono she had traveled in and pulled out another that she had brought from Kameko's home, draping the material around her body as she headed for the door. She was no longer accustomed to the grime one collected on themselves after several days of travel and she was practically beside herself with a desire to scrub every inch of her skin clean. Pinning her hair on top of her head with one quick motion, she pattered barefoot down the hallway toward the bath.

As she entered the misty, heat-filled room and saw the familiar pool of warm water, Rin recalled that this was perhaps the convenience she had missed the most. Though Kameko's home had been very nice, it had lacked many of the comforts of this place, most particularly, a naturally heated bath. Dropping the pale garment at her feet, Rin carefully slipped into the warm water and glided across the surface to the center, sinking to her neck and allowing the dirt to wash off of her.

It was so strange, this feeling of being at home and yet out of place; stranger still how, despite those mixed emotions, she felt very content, as though she had returned to something very comfortable and familiar. She had missed being around him. Sesshoumaru's life was often chaotic, but he always managed to return things to their rightful order. Life with him was secure and unchanging, not at all like in the human village where there was a constant melding of birth and death, joy and grief. Death was not something she dealt well with, Rin realized, and perhaps that was another reason why she was clinging to an individual who was as permanent as there was the ability to be. She did not have to worry about sudden illness claiming Sesshoumaru's life and she was more than aware that he could defend himself easily against anyone. She knew as a witness to his many battles that it would be very difficult to kill him at all.

Her mind switched then and turned to Sesshoumaru's brother, Inuyasha, and the human girl, Kagome. It had been heartwarming to witness Kagome's reunion with her friends, but there was something in particular about the hanyou and the human that intrigued her. They were quite obviously very in love with each other and it made her wonder if they realized what they were headed toward. Like her, Kagome probably had another fifty or sixty years left to her life. Inuyasha, no doubt, had much more than that. It made Rin's stomach clench to think of how painful that separation would be some day.

She knew that Sesshoumaru had once disapproved of his brother's involvement with Kagome and that brought about new questions. Was it because of the girl's comparatively short existence? Perhaps because of a personal dislike for her? Or simply because she was human? Jaken had often told Rin in the past that Sesshoumaru greatly detested humans, something she had always childishly rebuked as being clearly false because, after all, how could that be? _She_ was there, wasn't she? And he didn't hate her…

Pondering this now, she could see that the issue was probably more complicated than the young Rin's idealized view of the matter. It unsettled her to think that perhaps Jaken had been correct. He had served Sesshoumaru for a long time and knew things about him that Rin did not; if he was correct in claiming that his master hated humans, then did Sesshoumaru truly want her to be here with him? Or had he simply retrieved her out of a sense of obligation that had come from years of seeing to her welfare? She had come to believe that he had left her in the village because he had felt that a human influence and the involvement of a woman would be more suitable for the upbringing of a little girl, but…had that really been what had guided his decision?

She frowned at these complicated questions, resolving to get the answers from him. As much as she had missed him, she certainly did not want to remain in his household if he preferred her to be in the human village. With this new conviction, Rin stood up in the water and moved back toward the edge of the pool.

When the door suddenly flew open to admit Jaken, all she could do for a long moment was simply gape at him in horrified surprise before finally having the presence of mind to sink back underneath the water.

"You lazy girl! Did you bother to ask before coming in here? I found your _dinner_," he sneered at her, hands drawn up at his sides, glaring at her in consternation.

"Get out!" she yelled at him.

Looking even more affronted by this demand, Jaken's eyes narrowed until his beady pupils were barely visible through the slits. "Don't order me about like some common house boy! As I've told you before, I outrank yo---," he retorted loudly.

"Jaken, _get out_! I'm not dressed!"

"What are you shrieking about, you hysterical female? Do you think I _care_---?"

Biting down on her lip in frustration at the intrusion, Rin looked around her for something she could possibly throw at the annoying servant, her hands finally reaching up into her hair to pull out the ornament that was holding it in place. She hurled the object at Jaken who promptly ducked it with a speed she would not have credited him with.

It smashed into the wall outside the open door, barely missing Sesshoumaru who materialized with a dark expression, obviously drawn to the quarrel by the loud voices. Blood rushed to Rin's face as she ducked even further into the water, long hair falling to provide some strategic cover. Fortunately, the demon lord saved her further embarrassment by recognizing the situation and rectifying it quickly.

As Jaken opened his mouth to complain about Rin's rudeness, Sesshoumaru grabbed him by the back of the neck and tossed him out into the hallway, slamming the door behind him on his way out. When the room was occupied by only her once more, Rin rose from the water again, quickly grabbing her kimono, and breathing an embarrassed sigh as she did so. Living here again, she realized, was clearly going to take some adjustment.

* * *

Dinner proved to be a mostly silent affair. Rin studied her plate, ignoring the fierce stares Jaken was giving her. No doubt he felt her to be very ungrateful, as he had gone about the process of locating food for her only to have her scream and throw things at him when he went to find her. Seeing it from his point of view, Rin felt rather badly about the situation. He was still dealing with her as though she was that eight-year-old girl; of course he would not understand the privacy that one required when they got older.

"Thank you, Jaken-sama," she said quietly when he huffed past her within ear shot. "For the dinner. It was very kind of you."

He graced her with a less vicious glare, but she saw that he was somewhat appeased by the unstated apology. She could only hope that Sesshoumaru had discussed the issue of privacy with him when he had dragged his faithful servant out of the bath room. It was something she certainly did not want to approach with Jaken; just recalling the scene made her face redden.

When dinner was concluded and Rin had taken care of cleaning up, she quickly looked to escape the still-peeved Jaken by seeking out the company of his master. Pacing her way through the familiar corridors, she found Sesshoumaru in his room, securing Midoriko's sword to the wall along with the other weapons he kept there. She hovered at the door, looking in at the cavernous room that, though mostly sparse, held many items that hinted at opulence, but not ostentatiousness.

"I discussed what occurred earlier with Jaken. It will not happen again," he finally said absently, his attention sounding distant as he stepped back to regard the sword that now hung from the wall.

Rin took this as an invitation to enter and walked inside, noticing that, just like the rest of the house, this room had not changed at all. The furnishings, the few decorations, it was all precisely as she remembered. As was his usual habit, the screen that led to the outdoors was open as well, allowing a summery breeze to blow through the room.

She moved to stand near him, her eyes falling to the table that rested in front of them, quickly recognizing one of the objects that lay on the smooth, lightly-grained surface. Without hesitation, Rin reached out to pick up the lopsided, almost-star-shaped stone, its polished black surface catching the light as she turned it in her hand.

"You _kept_ this!" she exclaimed, turning a surprised smile on him.

"I didn't throw it away," he amended her statement, as though daring her to accuse him of sentimentality.

"I remember this," she said, grinning at the memory. Remembrances of small hands at play came to mind, digging and reaching into that riverbed... "I found it in a river. I gave it to you for your twentieth birthday," she said, grinning mischievously.

"It was _not_ my twentieth birthday," Sesshoumaru wryly informed her, stepping away, as though uncomfortable with the sentimental turn in conversation.

"I know, but at the time that age seemed to suit you. You never did tell me how old you were or when you were born, so I assigned an age and a date to you." She laughed as she looked up at him, eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Birthdays are not noted among youkai because we have too many of them. It would be like a human celebrating his birth every few weeks. After a short while, it would lose its meaning and become routine. Aging is not a surprise to us," he explained reasonably.

"Of course," she agreed, recognizing that that was very logical. "But recognition of someone's birth is a means to show how much an individual is loved and appreciated. It's a way to say that you are glad they are there with you." She looked at him expectantly. "And so? How far off was I?"

He was silent for a moment before deciding to appease her. "As of this past winter, I was born three hundred and ninety-eight years ago."

Rin's eyes widened perceptibly. "Then I can understand what you mean. I think if I celebrated three hundred and ninety-eight of them, I would probably consider them routine, too."

She placed the stone back on the table, the questions she had considered earlier in the evening resurfacing. She wondered if she should broach them with him, if he would even answer if she did. He walked to the screen and closed it, cutting off the freely-flowing breeze and her eyes followed his movements.

"It was you who protected my village," she finally stated, watching as his head came up slightly at the sudden switch in conversation.

"Yes," he agreed.

"Why?"

"Why?" he repeated, appearing curious at the question. "I think you know. Are you so surprised that I would do such a thing?"

"Not at all," she replied with honesty. "I want you to know that I am very thankful, Sesshoumaru-sama. When I was younger, I don't think it occurred to me how much you really did for me. The fact that I am here alive and breathing at all is entirely attributable to you." She paused then, thinking back to those days of uncertainty and fear, when she had waited in that village, waited for _him_. "I was afraid for you. When you did not come back, I wondered if Naraku had killed you."

"You worry far too much, a very human tendency," he replied easily. "That hanyou never had a hope of killing me."

"But surely you can understand my concern?"

"Yes," he finally agreed. "I felt it best not to return for you because my presence would only have complicated the direction your life needed to take. You were better off in the human village. I was a source of protection for you for a while, but that was all I could provide."

There was a long quiet pause before Rin finally found the nerve to ask him. "Sesshoumaru-sama, if I ask you something, will you answer me honestly?"

He looked at her in surprise, as though wondering why she would feel the need to make certain he would not lie to her. "Yes," he replied, curious at the uncharacteristically serious expression on her face.

"Do you hate humans?" she asked instantly, eyeing him intently, gentle brown eyes locked on his face.

"Yes," he answered unflinchingly, watching as the weight of his answer struck the girl, her expression flickering briefly. _She asked for honesty, but surely she is smart enough to know that she has become an exception and should not take it personally..._

"Why?" This new question seemed to beg for a reasonable explanation, one that would ease the constriction that had clamped onto her heart. Strangely, she had not expected so blunt an answer from him.

"For many reasons," he revealed. "They are an uncivilized species, one that breeds generation after generation to bring misery upon themselves and others. They defile the lands with their petty wars. They profess to be good and pure of heart, yet they think nothing of destroying each other, of succumbing to their greed and lust, of abandoning their orphaned young to fend for themselves," and at this his eyebrows rose, piercing her with a pointed stare. "Not even animals display such behavior. I have come across many humans in my lifetime. I can count on my hand the number that were worth the air they breathed."

Stunned by the harshness of his statement, Rin found she was too astounded to defend her species against his words. It seemed Jaken had been correct after all. "Do you want me here?" she asked tensely, now no longer certain of the answer she would receive.

"What sort of question is that?" he asked, taken aback by her odd tone. It was strange, these inquiries he was fielding from her. He was accustomed to her obediently following orders and asking trivial questions, not interrogating him for unspoken feelings and motivations. He was keenly aware that he was probably destroying the affection she held for him, but she had asked for honesty, and that was what he intended to give her.

"An important one. Jaken-sama has told me before about your revulsion toward humans. I did not believe him," she said stiffly, eyes averting as though it was suddenly difficult to look at him. "I see now that he was correct, and I wonder if it is uncomfortable for you to have me here."

"My dislike for your species has nothing to do with you."

"I am human," she reminded him.

"You are a separate issue. And to answer your question…you do not bother me. You are welcome to stay here." The hardness fled his face then, lightening into something that suggested humor. "I am not known for being terribly polite. If I did not want you in my home, you would not be here to ask me these questions."

Feeling strangely sad and relieved, Rin decided to end the conversation. She had her answer and though it bothered her to know his true feelings toward her kind, she was grateful for the certainty that he had been sincere in all of his words, including his admission that her presence was a welcome one. That would have to be enough for now.

* * *

_A constant, urgent whispering swarmed around her, in a voice, or perhaps voices she could not recognize or understand. The words fell over each other like water over rocks in a river, pounding against her ears until she almost felt a need to cover them. Rin looked around her, turning a full circle to see where or whom the noise was coming from, but all that was visible were velvety green fields and a pale blue sky that hung cheerfully overhead._

_"Who is it?" Rin asked aloud, wincing as the whispers became even more adamant. Then, just as suddenly as they had begun, they ceased with an immediacy that caught her off guard. A blanketing silence fell around her and she dropped her hands back down to her sides._

_"I hear them almost constantly," a soft melodic voice spoke from behind her and Rin instantly whirled around, surprised to see that a young woman had apparently snuck up behind her while she had been so focused on the noise. Suspicious, Rin eyed the girl a little nervously, noticing that she looked very sad, very ... tired. _Or worried, perhaps? _And Rin could not displace the feeling that this girl seemed somehow familiar ..._

_"Who are they?" Rin asked quietly, afraid to disturb the peace that had settled around them._

_The girl did not answer, but looked directly up into the sun that hung overhead, seeming thoughtful. It was then that Rin noticed that, though sunlight bore down upon them, there was no accompanying heat. Everything about this place was eerily perfect to the point of being false. A chill swept down her spine as the girl turned to look at her with great intensity._

_"I don't know," she finally answered Rin's question. "Sometimes I do know ... but then I forget..." The girl's expression faltered from serene to confused. _

_Not sure what to say to that, the creepy feeling that was settling within Rin prompted her to bring things back to some normalcy. "Ah ... my name is ..."_

_"Rin," the girl answered for her, looking up at her with a soft smile. "I know who you are. I know who you all are."_

_Apparently noticing Rin's growing nervousness and discomfort, she held out a hand and, instantly, the scene changed. The two of them were suddenly seated next to a gurgling stream, ancient trees hovering over them, their limbs bent forward from the weight of the branches. Rin's hands automatically dug into the grass around her, almost as though holding onto something solid would prevent another disorienting shift of reality. She looked behind her to see a small house situated not far away, the windows watching them quietly like glassy, open eyes._

_"Don't be afraid," the girl assured her calmly, shiny dark hair shifting restlessly in the light wind._

_Rin's eyes locked on the girl's face and, almost as though her brain had decided it was time to function again, she recalled precisely where she had seen this young woman before. When the boar demon had been about to kill her and she had wished for something to save her, there had been an image of a girl that had appeared ... and it was _this _person she was looking at now; sun-browned skin, bright brown eyes, and a sad face that looked as though it had once been content._

_"Midoriko," Rin murmured uncertainly, and the girl gave a subtle nod._

_"You destroyed my cave," Midoriko said, looking, if anything, almost amused._

_Appalled, Rin immediately started to apologize. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to ---"_

_"It's all right," Midoriko's voice interrupted, her hand waving as though to emphasize her lack of worry over the incident. "It has all lingered too long ... _I_ have lingered too long. And do not feel remorse," she said, watching Rin's expression carefully. "This had to happen eventually. It could not continue as it was, because it would only have built into something bigger. You have my gratitude for waking me."_

_Feeling the beginnings of a headache starting to thump in the back of her head, Rin frowned. "I don't understand. _We_ don't understand what's happening. Is it over now that the Shikon no Tama and your sword are separated?"_

_Midoriko's face reverted to sadness and her fingers folded into her lap. "I regret that it is not. I had to release them. Kagome meant to do the right thing by sealing Naraku with me, but I was not strong enough to hold onto him." She shook her head ruefully and looked out over the stumbling waters. "The Shikon no Tama exists because I was not strong enough. How strange that it has been used by others to increase their own strength. It appears that I do not understand my own heart."_

_"Your heart? So the Shikon no Tama is ---"_

_"Yes. I still do not really know what happened, but it is my greatest regret that I have created something that has caused so much harm. It was unintentional. If I had known what would have happened, I would have let Sesshoumaru handle matters. He had a bad feeling about that battle, and he has always had such good instincts; scary, really," Midoriko admitted, turning to look at Rin again, the smile returning to pull up the corners of her mouth. "It will likely please him to know that he was right. I had no business fighting a horde of demons that large. Not then."_

_Intrigued by the sudden mention of Sesshoumaru's name, Rin found herself asking, "Then did you know him well?"_

_"I knew him very well, at least, the person he was then ... now, I am not sure. He has changed very much." She regarded Rin almost affectionately. "You were very good for him. Before you arrived, his heart had become very dark, consumed by things he allowed to hurt him, to enrage him, to eat at him, to alter him. Your influence brought him back to something more like what he was."_

_"How do you know these things?"_

_"As I said earlier, I know you all very well," Midoriko answered, eyes becoming distant then, as though looking inward to the whirl of faces that had come into contact with the Shikon no Tama, for good or ill. "I know the heart of every soul that has encountered the Shikon no Tama ... you, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Miroku, Hiten, Tsubaki, Sango, Kagome, Bankotsu, Kikyou, Naraku, and all the others ... Good or evil, I know you all. You interest me especially, Rin. It is your heart that I relate to the most. Our backgrounds are very similar and we both share a strong affection for a certain youkai lord," Midoriko revealed, but then the slight smile faded. "It is because of our similarities that I find it easy to speak with you, I think. In any case, I am here for a purpose." Midoriko's brown eyes became intense once more as she regarded Rin seriously. "Tell him that they have been released from their seals, that I could not hold onto them any longer. He needs to be careful because there is something else involved here, something I cannot explain. The Shikon no Tama cannot be trusted. I can no longer control it; it has fallen to Kagome ... and to the other, to fight over it." She paused, as though gathering her thoughts and then went on. "Sesshoumaru had reason to fear the sword the night he prevented your using it. It was not I who prompted you to wield it, but another. I attempted to defend you so that you would not _try _to use it," she said admonishingly._

_Absorbing these words into a mind spinning with questions, Rin finally asked, "What is it that you are warning me about? What's going to happen?"_

_Midoriko looked thoughtful once more as she answered, "I cannot predict the future, but I do know that Naraku's horde is angry and vengeful." She went very quiet then, listening, a frown crossing her features. A few moments later, Rin's ears could pick up on the growing sounds of the whispering again, rising in volume slowly but steadily. Midoriko stood, her kimono falling in perfect, unwrinkled folds around her. "Thank you, Rin. Please remember," she said, then added as an afterthought. "And tell Sesshoumaru ... tell him that I am very sorry."_

_Before Rin could get clarification of what was meant by that, the young woman before her began to fade from something solid to transparent, and the scene around her turned dark…_

Rin's eyes snapped open and she sat up in her dark bedroom, heart thumping, her breathing sounding loud to her own ears. The rain had started once more; she could hear it pattering softly on the roof. Recalling the words and images of the dream, how real it had seemed, she threw back the blanket and got out of bed. She was supposed to tell him….

_Tell him what? _she thought suddenly, drawing up short just as her hand reached for the door. That some girl in a dream had told her that bad things were going to happen? That the Shikon no Tama was going to be the source of trouble? Now that she was completely awake, it sounded crazy even to her. _I'm rattled_, she thought. That sword…there was something about it that both intrigued her and made her uneasy. With Sesshoumaru's grim outlook on the reappearance of the weapon and the jewel, it was no wonder she was having strange dreams.

It was nothing he needed to know.

* * *

Seated on the outskirts of a town that was winding down its day, Ashrem looked slightly bored as he chewed at the first meal he had had in, apparently, three hundred years. It had astounded him when he had been told the year, having casually dropped questions to the townspeople as to who was now in control of the area, news of interesting events, anything to help get him caught up on what he had missed while he had been trapped in the hellish void that had been the Shikon no Tama.

Careful to spread out his questions to several people so as to avoid suspicion, Ashrem had gleaned much of interest during his visit within the town's walls, one of the most gratifying pieces of information having been that Inutaisho was dead. This simplified matters greatly. One interfering dog demon destroyed, and now only his arrogant pup to be dealt with. Ashrem realized that Sesshoumaru would not be an easy opponent. He had been quite formidable even when he had been much younger; there was no doubt in Ashrem's mind that his abilities were probably quite a bit more advanced after the passage of three centuries.

But he had a weakness, a human one that Ashrem was all too ready to exploit. It was only a matter of planning, timing, and waiting. He was patient. So long as Sesshoumaru remained completely unaware of his revival, Ashrem was free to do as he wished without fear of reprisal. Of course, it would take a while to master the jewel that had so ruthlessly dominated him for the past three hundred years, but with Midoriko weakened by the long years of constantly expended energy, of being passed from hand to hand and used as nothing more than a tool to increase one's powers, his only true rival for control of the jewel was the miko, Kagome. He was certain that his abilities would be able to eclipse hers, likely without even having to remove the jewel from her keeping. Even now he could feel it hovering at the edges of his consciousness, that link to Midoriko's heart that was being so carefully guarded once more.

This time there was the potential for another complication as well, Ashrem realized, but one that he was not overtly concerned about. The hanyou, Inuyasha, a result of one of Inutaisho's many human entanglements. From what he had witnessed during the years he had been watching the outside world from within the Shikon no Tama, he could soundly guess that, if anything, Inuyasha would likely greet his older brother's destruction with gratitude, or, at the very least, indifference. There was no love lost between those two. As long as Ashrem was careful in terms of his actions toward Kagome, Inuyasha would not become his enemy.

Yes, things were looking very good, even better than when Midoriko had been alive. Ashrem realized he had been too ambitious then, had taken on too much at one time. Midoriko's powers had been too difficult to manipulate when she had been a living, breathing individual. This other girl, Rin…she had no such abilities, but would serve even better. He would find a way to bring the abilities to her. It was always best to attack an enemy from a front they did not expect. She would do nicely.

As he finished the last of his meal, Ashrem stood stiffly, his muscles still becoming accustomed to physical use after lying dormant for so long. He turned to walk back up the hillside, his hearing suddenly picking up the sounds of … _what?_

Looking up into the sky, he noticed what appeared to be a dark cloud soaring overhead, a menagerie of creatures flocking too closely together for him to pick out individuals, but it was easy to recognize what they were. A horde of demons was heading toward the northwest, the air around them almost crackling with youkai energy.

_Interesting_, Ashrem thought. _Perhaps the leftovers of Naraku out to cause more trouble? _In any case, it was a perfect test.

Standing very still and shadowed by the trees around him, Ashrem watched the horde carefully as it flew above him, mentally searching for his link to Midoriko's powers, the ones still encased within the Shikon no Tama. It was a simple matter; her abilities flowed through his body with little more than a thought. A small smile of triumph crossed his lips as he casually raised a hand, aiming for the unknowingly targeted creatures. He could feel an almost overwhelming surge of energy shoot from his shoulder to his fingertips, preparing to obliterate them.

And then … without warning …. the energy died with a swiftness that made him stagger back a step. He pulled his hand down as though it had been burned, looking at it as though expecting an explanation to be written across his palm. His face drew into a scowl as, in his mind's eye, the face of that foreign girl faded and he understood what had occurred. _Kagome. _She had stopped him, likely unknowingly with her strange powers. It was surely instinct to her at this point, the guarding of that jewel. Perhaps she would prove to be more of a problem after all, he thought, his heart darkening with anger. But it did not matter. He had not waited three centuries to fail again.

* * *

"And this is how you play with this one," Kagome instructed the little boy that was seated in her lap. She picked up a blindingly yellow plastic block and shoved it through one of the holes of the rectangular toy. "You match up the shapes, see? If you get it right, they'll fit."

With great seriousness, as though careful to make the right selection, Kenji's small fingers wrapped around the red block she extended to him. He placed it in the correctly-shaped hole, and was immediately praised by the ecstatic Kagome, her hands clapping together in a motion he was quick to imitate. She was pleased to see that he was so enjoying Souta's old baby toys, the ones for which she had returned to her own time to scavenge out of her mother's closets. Everyone had been amazed when she had dumped a bagful of strange, colorful toys onto the floor of Sango and Miroku's home, many of which made strange noises or spun crazily about. They were an endless source of entertainment for Kenji, who had never seen anything like them in his entire life. Even Shippou and Inuyasha had not been able to help themselves from poking and prodding at some of the toys that seemed to whirl about of their own volition.

"You're spoiling him, Kagome-chan," Sango teased as she watched her friend play with her son.

"I have two years to make up for," Kagome explained, eyes lifting to Sango's face with expressive affection. She had been gratified to see that all of her fears for her friends had been unfounded. Sango had mostly tamed Miroku of his lecherous ways and agreed to marry him. Shippou resided with Kaede, who was practically a grandmother to him. And Inuyasha …. Kagome glanced over at the hanyou who was seated next to her, watching Kenji's playing intently, his own eyes wide with barely repressed curiosity.

_They took good care of him_, she thought fondly. Sango had quietly revealed to her that Inuyasha had been the main reason they had decided to reside within Kaede's village, unwilling to leave him on his own after her disappearance. And now that that separation was resolved, everything seemed almost too good to be true. Miroku's life was no longer threatened by the Kazaana, Sango had her brother back, Shippou had his new family, and Inuyasha …. was content. They were all together again, and Kagome felt as though those four long years had simply melted away, replaced by _these_ moments, the way it was supposed to be.

Inuyasha caught her eye as she watched him, his own eyes warm as they met hers. Of all of them, he had changed the least and Kagome was very grateful. He had been sticking with her like a second shadow ever since they had returned, but she was glad to see that they had fallen back into step with each other as easily as if there had been no separation. It only reinforced Kagome's certainty that she belonged with him … and she was equally sure, though he had yet to find the words to say it for himself, that he felt the same.

Kenji called for her attention once more. She looked down at his progress as he continued to place the blocks in the correct slots, murmuring praise from over his head. And then, quite suddenly, a strange darkness clouded her vision, casting a purple haze on the child and his movements. Kagome blinked it away with a frown, but it was Inuyasha's voice that first warned her that she was not the only one who had noticed something was wrong.

"Kagome …" he said urgently, his body going tense as he watched the jewel that hung around her neck.

Kagome looked down at the weight that rested against her collarbone, watching as the overly-bright Shikon no Tama slowly darkened with a swirl of blackness that engulfed it, making it feel suddenly heavy. With barely a thought, she moved Kenji out of her lap and backed away from the others who were now watching her with apprehensively surprised expressions. Miroku and Sango were frozen, appearing poised to jump to some sort of action, but unsure of what exactly to do.

"Kagome … take it off …," Inuyasha ordered quickly, rising to his feet in a flash, one hand outstretched to pull the chain off of her.

Barely hearing him, Kagome stared into the swirling depths of the jewel and, for a moment, could _swear _she saw the image of a gigantic horde of demons hurtling across the sky, and a hand reaching toward them ….

Instinctively she clasped her fingers around the Shikon no Tama before Inuyasha could pull it away, closing her fist around it and, immediately, the darkness dissipated, clearing the air. Obviously unnerved, Inuyasha's clawed fingers quickly opened her hand and seized the glittering ball, pulling the chain up and over her head, holding it as though it was a snake that was about to strike.

"Kagome-sama," Miroku said, still poised in a defensive posture, "What …?"

"I have no idea," she murmured honestly, eyeing the jewel that now dangled innocently from the chain held in Inuyasha's claws. "It just … developed a dark aura."

"On its own?" Sango asked uncertainly.

"No … I don't know." Kagome gathered her thoughts for a moment and then said, "It was probably just something residual left over from before I purified it," she suggested, hoping to soothe the wary Inuyasha. "It's not as though it has a mind of its own, Inuyasha. Everything's fine. I purified it again," she assured him, extending her hand for the necklace, which the hanyou reluctantly placed back into her hand. Dismissing her own troubled thoughts so as to calm the others, Kagome placed the jewel around her neck once more and knelt next to Kenji, prepared to continue their play. This time everyone around her watched with unswerving interest, and the combined weight of their stares only served to make her nervous.

Their idle play did not continue long, however. Inuyasha's ears twitched and he turned his head toward the door, his senses alerting him to the approach of something menacing. The others watched curiously as he pulled open the door and took a step outside, keen golden eyes glaring up into the sky to see a heavy, roiling cloud zooming straight toward the village. He had seen them before; not for several years, but they were familiar and unwelcome just the same. Even though their numbers were great, it was not that that perturbed Inuyasha most, but the horribly familiar smell they were bringing with them. Shippou appeared quickly beside him, his nose twitching silently as he, too, picked up the scent. Eyes going round with disbelief, Shippou said uncertainly, "They smell like ---"

"Naraku," Inuyasha finished through clenched teeth, head tilted skyward as the horde of youkai poured down toward the village.

* * *

**To the Reviewers:**

_**Badgerwolf: **Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. I'm so used to switching between two or three characters that now that everyone is involved in the story, it's kind of weird going back and forth between so many. Sorry if I confused you. I understand that the plot has become complicated, possibly too complicated for me to write properly but I'm going to do my best. Let me see if I can explain a little better: When Midoriko sealed up all those demons, herself, and Ashrem, they were all caught up together in the Shikon no Tama. Years later, Kagome tried to defeat Naraku, obviously a very powerful demon, by using the jewel. This overwhelmed Midoriko's abilities, so it was just a matter of time till the whole thing just exploded again. Rin sort of "woke" Midoriko up when she found the sword and Midoriko let Ashrem and the demons loose because she just couldn't hold onto them anymore. In other words, the poor girl is tired. ;) So … now that Ashrem is on the loose again, he still controls Midoriko and since the Shikon no Tama essentially is Midoriko, he can manipulate it as well. Also, Sesshoumaru did recognize Kirara, but I didn't really go too much into that because he had encountered her with Inuyasha's group in the series. He would not have been surprised to see her there, but I did mention that he was thinking that she understood about Midoriko's sword. I have heard the dub version of Kirara … I don't think it's as bad as the dub version of Kagome …"Kuh-Go-May". shudder ;)_

_**Blaise:** With you around to review, I know I won't be able to get away with making a mistake. Lol! You'll be sure to catch it…which is always appreciated. In the first chapter, Sesshoumaru did tell Inutaisho that he would wait for his sword, but he was referring to a sword that I made up. I had to make up a sword because Inutaisho would not have been able to have Tessaiga yet, since it was made to protect Inuyasha's mother. I think that scene sort of helped explain why Sesshoumaru was so expecting to inherit Tessaiga since, in my story, he had been promised the other sword, which was eventually destroyed. And Sesshoumaru definitely knew what Tenseiga could do before he came across Rin…he used it on Jaken and, in another later episode, he mentions in a flashback from fifty years earlier that it is useless in battle. I assume he's known all along what it can do, but why would he need to use it? He doesn't like enough people for it to come into use very often. ;) Oh, and I am not giving up on the story. It will be finished, so that's not an issue. I was just having a quick mental breakdown over what to do to make the story less confusing. LOL!_

_**Silver Spell:** Thanks to you as well for the review! Ashrem will come into it more as the chapters go on. Right now I'm just trying to focus mostly on getting Rin and Sesshoumaru to start looking at each other in more of a romantic light. That ought to be helped by a little jealousy that will come out of the appearance of a demon woman who shows up in the next chapter. Honestly, I don't think the Kohaku thing will play too much into this story. I decided not to complicate it any more than it already is, so I mostly dropped a lot of the plans I had with that, but he may pop back in enough to make Sesshy a little jealous, too. ;) And about the epilogue … your review really got me thinking on one. I just hope the ending I've thought up doesn't suck. :P We'll see … there's still at least like 9 more chapters to go, quite possibly more. Good God. I just noticed how long these responses to the reviewers are. I've turned this thing into a flipping message board. ;)_

_**Wingless Angel:** Agh! Quite possibly the most frustrating review ever … LOL! ;) I would respond to it, but it got cut off after like two sentences. I am so curious about what you were going to say! _


	13. The Sword's Intentions and The Jewel's G...

**Chapter Thirteen - The Sword's Intentions and the Jewel's Guardian**

The seething conglomeration of youkai began to pull apart and separate into smaller groups, some singly, some in pairs, all of whom were clearly intent on reaching the same target, all bringing with them the easily-recognizeable scent of Naraku.

Inuyasha walked away from Miroku and Sango's house, watching the youkai with great interest as they shot down toward the tiny village. Around him, the humans were catching on to what was about to happen and were reacting by fleeing, cowering within their homes, or attempting to arm themselves in some manner. Inuyasha understood their confusion. By his estimation, that horde looked as though it contained at least a thousand separate demons.

_They can't coalesce into one being_, he thought, smiling grimly. _Their host is gone. _Onigumo, the human man that had held the being known as Naraku together, no longer existed. Even so, Naraku's youkai clearly maintained his desire for revenge and Inuyasha wasn't particularly opposed to the idea. With the exuberance of a demon that had been denied a battle for far too long, he drew Tessaiga, the fanged sword immediately coming to life amidst a swirl of energy and rippling fur.

"Shippou," Miroku called from behind Inuyasha, shoving Kenji into the fox youkai's arms. "Take Kenji to Kaede's hut and wait there."

"I can fight …," Shippou immediately began to balk, adjusting the weight of the small boy that was now clinging fiercely to his neck.

"I know you can," Miroku nodded reassuringly, not willing to argue with him at such a moment. "That's why I am trusting you with my son. Please protect him and Kaede. We can take care of this." He glanced over at Kagome, who was standing beside a battle-tensed Sango. "Kagome-sama, it's been a while. I think you should go with him."

"Heh! Why don't you _all_ go cower in the old lady's hut? I'm getting some exercise," Inuyasha snidely informed them, sounding almost gleeful as the others watched him charge off to meet the oncoming youkai. Within moments, a cry of "_Kaze no Kizu!" _could be heard over the raucous din and they looked on as a rather significant portion of the enemy was vaporized by the hanyou's attack.

"He's been cooped up too long," Sango sighed of Inuyasha with an indulgent shake of her head, shouldering Hiraikotsu. "Shippou … please," she said simply to the younger boy, and this time he did as he was asked, turning to rush off to Kaede's hut with Kenji, Kagome sprinting after him.

Despite the quick, methodical blows he was dealing them, Inuyasha soon found himself surrounded by a swirling tornado of cawing, screeching youkai. The combined noise of flapping, snapping fangs, and claws was nearly deafening, enough so that the vibrations could be felt in his teeth. Though some of the demons had wisely backed away once they had witnessed the destruction that had been brought on by the first Kaze no Kizu, many others had been riled to even more aggression. Several of the braver demons swooped in to claw at him, bite him, or exhale poison in his face. Soon he was swinging almost blindly, trying to blink away the fumes that were burning his eyes.

The sounds of Hiraikotsu beating down on the wall of youkai behind him were what announced Miroku and Sango's arrival into the fray. The two burst through the hole provided by the enormous boomerang, racing in to stand back-to-back with Inuyasha, ensuring by doing so that the demons would now only have one front on which to attack him.

"What the hell kind of demon attack is this?" Inuyasha yelled over the noise, his silver hair blowing wildly as the wind around them was stirred up by the circling creatures. It was like a scene out of hell, vision filled with murderous beings of all size and type, a vicious, conscious storm.

"They've stalled here to kill us. They haven't even approached the village," Miroku called back, bringing up his staff to ward off two swooping crows and then quickly taking them down with a few well-aimed sutras.

Sango, mask firmly in place to void the effects of any poisonous fumes, swatted down several of the demons with a cat-like grace. Behind her, she could sense that Inuyasha had stepped away and had that feeling verified a moment later by another exclamation of _"Kazo no Kizu!" _The attack caused the ground underneath their feet to shake violently as the blast effectively cremated a hundred of the creatures. A half second later, their attention was caught when a smaller flash of fiery light decimated several of the youkai by an assault that had clearly come from the outside.

"Damn her! She'd better not try to use that jewel!" Inuyasha growled, recognizing the purifying energy that now hovered in the air.

On the other side of the mass of attacking youkai, Kagome was standing on a small ledge, newly armed with a bow supplied by Kaede. She sent off arrow after arrow into the crowd, doing so with relative impunity as the youkai seemed more interested in battling the people within than with paying her any attention. It took them a while to collectively realize that a threat was now presenting itself on the outside, but suddenly, almost as though having made a joint decision, the wall of demons broke apart and turned toward her. She half-lowered her bow, momentarily considering her options as hundreds of demons came tearing toward her. Without the slightest provocation on her part and almost as though in response to the oncoming assault, the jewel around her neck gave a sudden, violent pulse. Distracted, Kagome looked down and saw that, again, the Shikon no Tama was darkening to a depthless black.

Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango looked up at the sudden exposure of daylight as the cloud of youkai lifted from around them. The hanyou seized on the opportunity and shot toward Kagome, but as he did so, he sensed something very wrong … a buildup of energy that was highly reminiscent of the barrier that had been around Mount Hakurei all those years earlier. Fortunately for him, Miroku recognized what was coming toward them an instant sooner and quickly tackled Inuyasha to the ground. Seconds later a jolting wave of energy shot outward, annihilating Naraku's youkai in one sweeping, brilliant burst.

The attack that had incinerated their enemies passed harmlessly over the human Miroku who covered Inuyasha's body in an attempt to prevent the hanyou from meeting the same fate. When it was over, the few youkai who remained in existence scattered quickly, soaring off in the direction from which they had come.

"Inuyashaaaaaa!" Kagome called frantically, running toward them as Miroku picked himself up off of the flattened half-demon. Sango knelt next to them, Hiraikotsu dropping to the earth beside her as she paused to catch her breath.

Pulling himself up from the forced sprawl, Inuyasha growled a less-than-grateful comment to Miroku as Kagome fell to her knees on the grass in front of him, breathing heavily. The Shikon no Tama was off of her neck and clutched in one shaking hand, and he eyed it with cold accusation, as though it was something alive and plotting its own agenda.

"What the hell did you do?" Inuyasha barked at her, feeling his moment of terror slowly dissipate. It had not been caused by fear of the attack, but by the sickening worry that the flash of light would fade for him to discover that she was gone, snatched away as she had been before. But Kagome's pale, frightened face was very real as she opened her hand and looked down at the jewel that lay innocently in her palm. It was glittering a benevolent purple-pink once more, the darkness having vanished again at her touch.

"I didn't do it. It attacked on its own," she explained, looking from face to face. All three looked as though they had been beset by wild animals, their visible skin marred with bites and scratches inflicted by the vengeful horde.

"Give it to me," Inuyasha ordered instantly, holding his clawed hand out expectantly.

"Absolutely not!" Kagome argued, tightening her grip on the glowing ball and pulling her arm back. "Do you think I'm going to let you handle something that could have just killed you? You're out of your mind!"

"Baka! You can't control that thing!"

"I'm the one that stopped the attack! Obviously I can!"

Inuyasha made a derisive sound, folding his arms defiantly over his chest. "All those years of _school_ and you still don't have the ability to form an intelligent thought! Hand it over, Kagome," he insisted, reaching out to pull it from her grasp.

Miroku and Sango, knowing what was coming, were quick to move away. As predicted, Kagome hissed an _"Osuwari!"_ command and Inuyasha was firmly planted face-first into the dirt, squawking his surprise. With a rigid set to her normally soft features, Kagome placed the Shikon no Tama around her neck again.

"The Shikon no Tama stays with me, Inuyasha," she said in a no-nonsense tone, and no one else dared to argue.

* * *

Sunlight was dappling its way through the overhanging leafcover, warm and shadowy at once, distracting Rin with contentment, a moment that was interrupted when, without explanation, Sesshoumaru halted their small group near the bank of a swiftly-moving river. Withdrawing Midoriko's sword from amongst his own weapons, he shoved the blade into the soft ground until it was held steadily upright by the sandy weight of the shore. He then took a step back, and Rin's gaze fixated on him instead of the natural surroundings.

He had been especially quiet that morning and Rin wondered if he was second-guessing his intention to destroy the sword. Even now he looked to be embroiled in some sort of internal debate, his eyes locked thoughtfully on the weapon. But, as if coming to a settled decision, he finally moved, backing away from it to draw Toukijin.

"Cross the bridge," he ordered, and before Rin could open her mouth to say anything, Jaken's smooth, cold hand was clasping her fingers and hauling her away with all due speed. Rin looked over her shoulder as they scampered across the bridge to the other side of the roaring river, feeling a knot form in her stomach as she turned to look back at him.

Sesshoumaru waited while they crossed to the other side, wondering at the wisdom of having allowed them to come along at all. In the back of his mind, he remembered the last few times he had seen Midoriko's sword in action, one of those having effectively leveled part of his house, the other having annihilated everything with a demonic aura in the vicinity of her village. _Even me_, he admitted to himself, watching as sunlight glared off of the shiny metal. The only reason he had not become a part of that frozen menagerie of youkai was because of Tenseiga's response. Now, as he was preparing to destroy this weapon that he still so fervently believed should never have existed, he wondered what he could expect from it…

These concerns were not enough to keep him from the attempt, however, and so, with a heavy swing, he brought Toukijin crashing down on the sword. For a moment, the thought that that might have been a catastrophic idea crossed his mind as, instantaneously, the sword pulsed and expelled a hard blast of purifying energy …. one that, to his surprise, never reached him. A hazy purple barrier swirled up in front of him, repelling the energy with a violent crack, like the sound of a whip. As soon as the attack died, the barrier disappeared.

Across the river, Rin watched in horror as the sword struck back, snaking outward to snap at him, but she was relieved to see it roll harmlessly away from him, like a spent wave. The barrier that had protected her the night Kameko's village had been attacked seemed to be doing the same for Sesshoumaru. Unlike her, however, the demon lord did not appear to be particularly grateful. He took a step back and swung again, this time with much more force and, immediately, was rewarded with an even larger blast that was, as before, repelled by the shield that rose to encapsulate him. Rin watched as he lowered Toukijin in utter consternation, glaring at the offensive sword that was still sedately lodged in the sandy shore despite his efforts.

"She's protecting him," Rin murmured the thought aloud, not realizing she had done so until she saw Sesshoumaru's head come up sharply to stare at her across the water.

"'She' who?" Jaken sneered in response to Rin's comment.

"Midoriko," Rin replied quietly, wondering if even a whisper would carry across to Sesshoumaru's keen hearing.

"Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't need protection from anybody, baka, least of all a dead human girl. You don't know what you're talking about," Jaken scoffed at the idea.

Listening to the conversation between the two across the river, Sesshoumaru regarded the sword once more. Where had Rin come up with such an idea? There were rumors that Midoriko's spirit had never been fully at rest, instead perpetually lingering inside of her cave. Perhaps there had been some truth to that; maybe she was somehow clinging to her sword. Was the weapon still somehow hers? It would explain why he had just been shielded from what would have been a painful experience.

He looked over at the girl who was standing on the opposite shore, watching him intently. How had Rin recognized that barrier for what it was? She had no way of knowing that that had been one of Midoriko's abilities, although she had been correct in assuming that she had benefited from it the night the boar had attacked her village. Sesshoumaru was getting the feeling that there was something circling inside Rin's mind that he would be interested to hear.

He sheathed Toukijin, the metal ringing as it slid into place, and leapt easily across the frothing waters that separated him from his companions, landing directly in front of Rin, who took a startled step backward.

"What do you know about this?" he demanded instantly.

"Nothing, really," she replied quickly with a slight shake of the head, though her expression was far less convincing than her words.

"I heard what you said to Jaken," he prompted.

Rin exhaled a sigh, looking away from him for a moment as she carefully chose her words. "I had a dream the other night … about Midoriko. In it she mentioned that she had tried to protect me the night the village was attacked, hoping to keep me from using her sword. Watching you try to destroy it reminded me of that. That's all. It was just a dream. I shouldn't have said anything."

He watched her wordlessly for a moment, then said in a tone that brooked no argument, "We will return to the house. And I intend to hear about this _dream_."

* * *

Seated in a high-backed chair inside his room, Rin watched as the normally stoic demon dropped Midoriko's sword back into its slot on the wall and then paced toward her, seeming more than a little perturbed. She was grateful that he had thought to order Jaken off on an errand, since having two intense gazes set on her would only have made her nervous, not to mention the fact that Jaken's absence meant she could avoid his cat-calling during the explanation.

"You were correct in assuming that shielding was an ability that Midoriko possessed. I think it highly unlikely that your mind would randomly put such facts together without additional information; information that would have had to come from me and did not."

Rin listened to his tone as he spoke, suddenly wondering if she had made a terrible decision by not following her initial instinct and revealing her dream sooner. It had seemed so real at the time, but wakefulness had chased it back into fantasy, a mere expression of her mind's confusion and worry. "Then you think she was actually speaking to me?" Rin asked uncertainly, still not entirely prepared to believe it herself. "Why?"

Looking as though he was seeing something beyond her, Sesshoumaru finally voiced his opinion. "When Midoriko created the Shikon no Tama, she sealed herself inside, along with the demons she was fighting … and another. This other individual was a human man named Ashrem; an individual possessing of megalomaniacal delusions in which he envisioned the end of youkai rule in the west. Like Midoriko, he held strange, unexplained powers, though his were of the ability to manipulate the mind and actions of another. Once he was linked to someone, he could effectively force them to do as he wished, he could hear their thoughts, feel their emotions, and…invade their dreams," Sesshoumaru paused, his expression darkening more with every sentence. "He was linked to Midoriko at the time of her death. That leaves me to wonder _who_ precisely was speaking to you. Just because it looked like Midoriko does not mean that it was."

He walked a few steps closer to Rin, whose mind was whirling with this new information. She could feel the tension coming off of him almost like a physical thing. "I want you to repeat what you were told," he requested.

As he waited for Rin to gather her memories of the dream, Sesshoumaru found himself developing a strange desire to pace the room. _Was it really Midoriko? _he wondered silently. His suspicion and prior experiences with her led him to believe that it very well might not have been. If Midoriko had somehow absorbed Ashrem's power to enter an unconscious mind, then he was certain she would have come to speak to him. Going through Rin would have been entirely characteristic of Ashrem, though he could not discern a reason why. Rin had no abnormal abilities; she would be of little use to him.

"She seemed worried about the Shikon no Tama, about Naraku, about you," she said pointedly, looking up at where he hovered over her. "She wanted me to tell you to be careful because she was forced to release Naraku's demons. She was concerned that they would want revenge."

"She released them?" he repeated forcefully.

"Yes."

"What else?"

"She told me that she accidentally created the Shikon no Tama because of weakness, that you were correct in telling her that she had no business fighting that day," Rin said, watching him to see if any of this chimed with his own reality. "Does this sound familiar?" she asked quietly.

"Yes," he answered, eyes lowering to absently study the floor, his own voice almost as subdued as her own. It seemed it _had_ been Midoriko after all. But why had she not come to him with these warnings? Why instead to Rin, a girl she did not even know?

"Was there anything else?" he questioned.

Perusing the vague memories and words of the dream, Rin found that very little else was coming back to her, though she was certain that there had been something else of importance … _what? _And then those distant, echoing words came back to her, belonging to a girl who had shared so intimate a space, yet was still a complete stranger."She wanted me to apologize to you," Rin murmured as her mind struggled to reassemble more of what it had heard and seen.

"Apologize?" he repeated lowly, frown deepening with obvious confusion. "Why?"

"I don't remember," Rin admitted quietly.

Sesshoumaru took a step back from her, suddenly aware of his hovering, thoughts processing all of this new information. So it seemed Midoriko had expelled the dark influence of Naraku. Had it been the horde's destruction that had caused the explosion at her cave? Perhaps that was why the sword had reacted so violently at Rin's slight provocation. Or were they still in existence and lurking about, waiting for an opportunity to wreak more havoc? Somehow he did not doubt that he would discover that answer soon.

Ashrem…it had been decades since he had last given more than a passing thought to that wretched creature. Were he and Midoriko fighting for dominance over the jewel? If so, he hoped that Inuyasha's miko was up to the task of keeping the balance of power shifted firmly toward the former exterminator. The Shikon no Tama, to his dismay, fell securely into her realm of influence. It was for Kagome to fight where matters of spiritual powers were concerned, not for him. He would have to settle for a physically present opponent and it appeared that Naraku's remnants might present him with just that.

"If it happens again, I want to know," he said simply to Rin, effectively ending the conversation.

* * *

Rin did not have to wait long to verify that, indeed, her dream conversation with Midoriko had been more than something created by her mind. Her eyes opened against their own will, burning from sleepiness, her heart pounding for a reason she could not identify. Starlight poured in from her window, casting a soft yellow-white glow across her blanket, but its peacefulness was disrupted by a distant sound. _What …? _her sleep-addled brain questioned.

She had only a few seconds to ponder this before her door suddenly swung open with a telling creak of hinges, admitting a swiftly-moving Sesshoumaru. He was only half-dressed, something that told the disoriented Rin that he had been caught by surprise, and there was something about his quick movements that was less than comforting as they spoke of a threat that she could not sense.

"Jaken!" he bellowed over his shoulder, calling for his servant even as he attached Toukijin at his side and strode quickly toward her. Rin sat up in bed, but before she could voice an inquiry as to what was happening, his fingers were locked firmly around her wrist.

"Get out of bed," he ordered tersely, pulling her up even as he said it. She found herself being dragged out of the room, Jaken ambling down the hallway toward them, looking slightly bleary-eyed as his flat feet slapped loudly against the wood floors.

"Stay away from the outside walls," Sesshoumaru ordered her without further explanation as he released his hold on her arm and started to walk away.

"Sesshoumaru-sa---" she began, but he cut her off, turning to face her, eyes flashing with a wicked gleam, and she sensed some sort of grim anticipation coming from him.

"Find an interior room...and _stay_ there. Come, Jaken," Rin stared as he morphed into a blur and shot toward the back of the house, Jaken scrambling after him with his staff.

For a moment she stood perfectly still, internally debating whether or not to heed his command. Part of her rebelled against it, silently fuming over his apparent belief that she was still to be ordered about like some vassal. The reasonable half of her brain recognized that he always had a purpose behind what he asked of her and she could guess that this was likely no different.

Still, her disobedient side won the argument and she found herself rushing to the back of the house, looking outside into the purple-black sky to see something even darker and more foreboding descending toward them at a speed that astonished her. This cloud of … _something_ … was accompanied by shrill shrieking cries, deafening in volume, making Rin wonder if they had come straight out of hell. Within a few moments, she recognized what they were: demons of all sizes and types, hundreds upon hundreds of them.

Squinting against the darkness, Rin found that she could make out a distant white figure, a glint of silver in the moonlight revealing that he was clutching Toukijin and waiting for his opponents to approach.

_He's going to fight them. There's no way …_

She looked fearfully up at the sky again, the collective screeching sound from the horde piercing painfully at her eardrums. _Who could defeat _that she wondered frantically. As strong as he was, there was only so much Sesshoumaru could do on his own against that many enemies. And as loyal as Jaken was, all he would likely be able to add to the conflict was his own death.

Stepping outside, Rin's fingernails dug into the railing as she watched, feeling completely useless as the seething mass of youkai rained down on them. Sesshoumaru remained motionless until the first wave of demons came within range of Toukijin and then swung, a blinding flash of yellow-white light sending into oblivion the ones who had been unfortunate enough to reach him first. Near him, an almost constant stream of fire signaled where Jaken was trying to be of use, but just as Rin had feared, the two were quickly engulfed in a swarm of wings, claws, and teeth.

Remembrance of her dream discussion with Midoriko came to mind then and she recalled that the girl had warned her that Naraku's horde was free once more and feeling bloodthirsty toward those that had destroyed him. _That is what this is_, Rin thought frantically. _Naraku's demons have come to kill him ... _And for the first time in her life, Rin watched a battle she was not at all certain Sesshoumaru could win.

It was perhaps her anxiety over having lost sight of them in the swarming cloud that prompted her to defy him further and break her promise, but she could not ignore what had occurred earlier that day at the river bank. If Rin could not help him directly, she knew that there was someone who _would_. Decision made, she sprinted back into the house, hurtling into his bedroom, her gaze immediately locking onto what she had come for. Midoriko's sword gleamed back at her as she reached up to pull it down from the wall...

* * *

_Swing … turn … swing._

The number of youkai seemed endless, but Sesshoumaru continued to hack away at them, perfectly aware of exactly what they were and why they had come. The scent of Naraku was all around him, permeating the air like a poison. He had also been quick to note that Naraku's horde had retained much of their host's knowledge. Sesshoumaru had picked up on a particular interest on their part to try and seize Tenseiga from where it lay at his side. He was quicker than they were, however, so all they were managing to do was scratch and claw ceaselessly at him in a vain attempt to wrest it from his body. Obviously they were here to try to take his life, but Sesshoumaru was not terribly surprised. He had never credited Naraku with an exceptional amount of intelligence in the first place, even when the hanyou had been a fully functioning independent being.

He was increasingly aware of the youkai blood surging through his veins, bringing with it an ever-intensifying desire to mangle and destroy these creatures that were so arrogantly attacking him. It was a natural instinct he had learned to repress ever since the loss of his arm. The transformation into his true form would be mostly pointless with one of his forelegs missing. Still, it was times like this when he intensely regretted the outcome of that battle with Inuyasha; it would have been so much more convenient, and satisfying, to simply shred this horde to pieces.

Behind him, he could hear that Jaken was having a far worse time with this battle than he was. As annoying as the toad was, Sesshoumaru had to grudgingly admit that he was loyal, despite his tendency toward cowardice. Jaken took his service to his master very seriously, which was why Sesshoumaru went to the trouble of turning around to dismember the two vulture youkai that were attempting to separate Jaken from the Staff of Heads and pull him away.

Sesshoumaru whirled to resume destroying the youkai that were attacking him from the front, but his battle-heightened senses were quick to pick up on the presence of the sword's energy, that accursed biting feeling that emanated from it. It was nearby, which meant she was nearby _with_ it; the sword he had explicitly told her not to touch.

The demons around him were obviously perturbed by its presence, for they suddenly pulled back, making it seem as though a heavy curtain had been lifted. As he had suspected, Sesshoumaru turned to watch as Rin bolted toward him across the field, Midoriko's sword clutched in one hand. It was impossible to avoid seeing the resemblance between this battle and Midoriko's last …. again there was a massive horde of bloodthirsty youkai, again he was there attempting to kill them, and, most disturbing of all, again there was a human girl who refused to listen to him.

The attacking demons seemed confused, at a loss as to which target should bear the brunt of their attacks. Sesshoumaru vacated his position and ran toward her, Jaken having enough sense of self-preservation to latch onto his master's furry pelt as he hurtled past him. The sudden movement on the part of their target spurred the demon horde to action again and it gathered as a whole group once more, their roiling, twisting motion almost tornadic as they chased their quarry.

Rin pulled up short as Sesshoumaru materialized from a blur to a solidly physical form directly in front of her, looking like the devil. Her brain numbly made this comparison as she looked up to find that his eyes were a frightening crimson instead of the usual deep gold. The markings on the sides of his face were darkened from magenta to black, his muscles tensed for a fight. His exposed upper body was covered in angry welts and bleeding scratches and his face was contorted into a searing rage that was terrifying to look at.

"What the _hell_ did I tell you about this sw---?" he roared harshly at her over the noise as the demons sped toward them, but he was cut short by a detonating discharge of energy that knocked them both off their feet, sending them sprawling to the ground. Sesshoumaru pulled himself up, watching through a familiar, swirling purple haze as the youkai horde was utterly demolished right before his eyes, the din of their collective death painful to hear as they were extinguished, leaving behind a deceptively peaceful night sky and an instantaneous, all-encompassing silence.

Rin sat up then as well, looking around in awestruck silence as her ears adjusted to the sudden quiet. Save for the obviously disrupted landscape and the injuries on the horde's intended victims, it was difficult to believe that a battle had just taken place. She glanced at Sesshoumaru who was still seated on the ground, his gaze locked on her with an expression that was more like him and less like a wild animal, but one that made her only a little less uncomfortable. She looked quickly away from him, instead focusing on poor Jaken who looked like had had been set upon by an angry, stick-wielding mob.

"Jaken-sama, you look terrible," she said consolingly, noticing how completely disconcerted he seemed by the lingering effects of the sword's attack. She rose to her feet. "Come back to the house and I'll take care of those scratches for you, all right?" Then, feeling braver, she turned to Sesshoumaru, hoping the change of subject would stave off the fight she knew was building. "You, too, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Why did you defy me?" his voice came out cool and smooth, but hinted at his anger.

"Because it did what I knew it would do … I knew she would save you," Rin replied confidently, daring him to dispute what she had just claimed. She had expected him to react this way. He was excessively proud and she knew that he would be displeased by her actions.

"_Save_ me?" he repeated acidly. "It is astounding the way the mind of a human woman works. I have lived nearly four centuries by seeing to my own safety. A pack of pathetic youkai are not going to be sufficient to end my life. You, however, are a different matter." He rose instantly from the ground to tower over her, all grace and dignity. "Perhaps I have not frightened you enough," he said darkly, taking a step toward her. "Would you prefer the gory details of what that sword can do? Then let me tell you about the girl it belonged to … she was very much like you: reckless, overconfident, distracted by the deaths of those around her and, because of that, far too concerned about everyone else's well-being instead of her own. She didn't expect to die that day, but she was stupid enough to think that her sword was her key to safety. She was wrong. It ripped the heart out of her body to be displayed as a piece of jewelry around the neck of a foreign miko," he spat the last few words out, sounding faintly bitter.

"She won't let that happen to me," Rin said firmly. "She's been trying to defend---"

"She could not defend _herself_," Sesshoumaru shot back. "Do not trust her to be your savior … or mine. Not even Tenseiga can repair what that sword did to her. I intend to ensure that the result of this sword's reappearance does not mirror what occurred three hundred years ago."

Rin exhaled a sigh at that and softened her voice. "I am sorry for what happened to her, Sesshoumaru-sama. Her death clearly bothers you---"

"That is not the point," he replied vehemently. "That is far in the past. My intention now is to see to it that you do not meet a similar fate. I will, however, need some assistance from you."

Rin shook her dark head, unapologetically defiant. "I would do it again." This impudent declaration seemed to appall Jaken who looked quickly at his master and judged that the wisest course of action would be to back away, something he was quick to act on.

"_You_ are rebellious," Sesshoumaru accused Rin, clearly frustrated by her refusal to assent to his wishes. He had often found that youkai women were difficult to deal with, but it seemed that the human species had their own problems in that regard.

"I would agree to that statement if I was still a _child_," she said, putting careful emphasis on the word. "Tonight I made a decision and acted on it. It was in direct contradiction to your wishes, but it was still mine to make." She frowned at him, bothered by this attempt to cling to their old roles. "It is not your responsibility to see to my safety; that part of our relationship was dissolved long ago when you sent me to live with Kameko. Now my life is mine to do with as I wish." She smiled in slight amusement then, shaking her head at their argument. "You have not been charged with the duty of ensuring that I reach an old age, Sesshoumaru-sama. I do not particularly fear my death, but the thought of yours or Kameko's or Jaken's or Kisho's terrifies me. You, especially, are my very dear friend. I could not stand idly by and watch what happened tonight."

"Then next time I will be forced to subdue you," he replied threateningly, not at all pacified by her words.

She took him aback by laughing off his warning. "Or you could take the kinder route and teach me not to be so useless."

"Teach you? To fight?" he asked, sounding absolutely astonished at the idea.

"Yes. I'm not sure how good I'll be at it, but I'd feel better knowing that I can at least defend myself." She reached out and grabbed onto his arm, pulling him toward the house with her. "I think it might make you feel more at ease, too. You can't be my guardian forever, Sesshoumaru-sama."

He blinked at her, eerily reminded that almost those exact same words had been uttered to him by Midoriko over three centuries earlier. How had he managed to form two such similar relationships with these two separate human women? He allowed her to pull him along with her, but decided to end the argument on his terms. "You will live to be a very old woman, Rin … a very old, stubborn, ornery woman."

She grinned at his pronouncement, but her smile faded as she glanced beside her and studied the deep welts and scratches that covered him. They had already stopped bleeding and were beginning to seal themselves up with new skin even as she watched. Still, they concerned her; not for their severity, but because they symbolized the fact that there had been something out there actively plotting his destruction. She knew that Naraku had been made up of a union between thousands of demons, and was sure that the ones that had arrived tonight had not accounted for all of them.

"Those were Naraku's demons," she finally said as they drew closer to the house's steps.

"Yes."

"He … he cannot return to the form he used before ….," she said worriedly, the statement coming out as uncertain even to her own ears.

"No, his human body is deceased. We saw to that in our last battle with him, though there is no shortage of power-starved, intelligence-deprived individuals who would be more than willing to forge a deal similar to Onigumo's. It is just a matter of finding someone suitable."

Rin nodded, quietly considering his words as they entered the house, Jaken trailing after them. Another concern presented itself to her then, as she recalled that Sesshoumaru had not been alone when Naraku's death had taken place. "If they came for revenge, do you think they'll do the same against Inuyasha?"

"Likely," he replied. "Naraku hated him with a vengeance."

"Will they be all right, do you think?" Rin asked. She was aware that Sesshoumaru's interest in Inuyasha and his human friends was almost non-existent, but Rin had found them to be good people and was concerned that they might encounter a similar battle. A warning would be appreciated, certainly...

"That is my brother's concern," he replied predictably. "Though, if any of his humans manage to get themselves killed, we will hear about it quickly. He'll turn up on my doorstep to demand Tenseiga."

"Will you help him if he asks?" she questioned curiously.

He took a long moment to answer before saying simply, "I will make that decision when it is necessary."

* * *

Apparently no such catastrophe struck Inuyasha and his group, though there were reports that the village they resided in had been attacked. Rin had listened with interest when Sesshoumaru was informed that the demons that had gone to kill Inuyasha and his friends had met an end very much like the ones that had attacked Sesshoumaru. In that instance, however, it had been the actions of the Shikon no Tama, not the sword, that had secured their destruction.

It unnerved Sesshoumaru to think that Midoriko's spirit was somehow clinging to her sword, that she and Rin were apparently sharing some strange sort of bond that enabled Midoriko to communicate with her. It frustrated him to no end that Rin's recollection of her dream had been vague, but she had at least remembered enough to let him know that Midoriko was very worried. Had it only been because of Naraku's demons? To him, that seemed barely of sufficient worth to devote a thought, but, he remembered, Midoriko had always been rather paranoid about his welfare.

_For three centuries she's lingered_, he thought one evening as he pulled an old bow out of a trunk in a dusty, long-unused spare room. This revelation bothered him greatly, but there was little to be done about it. It appeared, as his father had once said, that the jewel could not be destroyed. Was there a way to help her? He did not know, but was certain he would if he could discover a means to do so. It would have been more helpful if she had spoken to him, instead of Rin. Whether she hadn't because she could not or because she refused to, he did not know.

He still believed he had made the best decision available to him by leaving the Shikon no Tama with Kagome. It sounded as though she had mastered the jewel enough to use it to destroy her enemies, although he did dislike the idea of allowing a human to run amuck with such a dangerous artifact. Wasn't that what Inutaisho had done with Midoriko? It was disconcerting how the past seemed so intent on repeating itself, colliding with the here and now. Unlike Midoriko, however, Kagome was a true miko, one who possessed deep spiritual powers. Hopefully whatever training she had had would be sufficient to keep her out of trouble. It was not that he particularly cared one way or another what happened to her; he simply did not want to have to deal with the messy conflict that would arise if the Shikon no Tama were to fall once more into sinister hands. This time he would not allow it.

Even though much of Naraku's horde had been completely annihilated by the combined efforts of the Shikon no Tama and the sword in their separate battles, remnants of the hanyou bastard still existed to terrorize the region. Sesshoumaru heard almost daily reports of the destruction that was being wrought against the poorly-defended human villages across the country. This was creating additional violence on both sides as the humans retaliated against the demon population, their small brains so certain that one youkai was just as guilty as another. Demon-hunting was becoming popular again, which was deeply angering all youkai, many of whom were also being targeted by Naraku's demons.

Bow and arrows clasped in his hand, Sesshoumaru walked outside, automatically inhaling a breath of early evening air to gauge for signs of any unidentified presence. Rin was seated next to Jaken on the top step, the toad chattering at her in his usual pompous fashion, entertaining her with stories of their war against Naraku. Rin was listening with rapt attention, something Jaken seemed to be enjoying enthusiastically.

"Jaken," Sesshoumaru broke in, "find something else to do." It would not do to allow him to remain; he would only disrupt her lesson with his taunts and jeering.

Looking almost regretful to lose such an attentive audience, Jaken rose and clambered back up the steps as Rin looked questioningly up at Sesshoumaru. Her gaze then fell to the strange-looking bow in his hand.

"Is that what you're going to teach me to use?" she questioned.

He nodded, motioning for her to rise and walk with him. She followed him down the stairs and out toward the edge of the forest, listening as he explained.

"You're not heavy enough to wield any of the swords in my possession. They were meant for youkai strength. They would swing _you_," he said with a trace of humor. "This bow is not normal, which is for the best since the bows created by humans are useless for almost anything beyond killing their food. They certainly do not match up well to youkai, which is made painfully obvious every time a human village tries to defend itself without specialized equipment."

"What is special about that bow?" Rin asked, glancing down at the weapon that was clutched in his hand. It gleamed a shiny white-gray and was apparently not made of wood, as most normal bows were. Sesshoumaru was quick to verify that assumption.

"This belonged to my father's youngest sister, Sesali. It was constructed from the bones of one of our family's greatest enemies, a dog demon named Eido. He was, at the time, the lord of the north. My grandfather was overconfident in his dealings with the northerners, which eventually resulted in their defeating our family and seizing our lands. My father and his younger brother and sister were the only ones to survive, though they were barely more than children at the time."

Rin listened in subdued silence at this story, finally opening her mouth to say, "But you are in control here again …"

Sesshoumaru smiled slightly, looking more than a little malicious as he replied, "My father retaliated. A few decades later he, his brother, Kanaye, and Sesali led a war against the northern lord and killed him and his immediate family, leaving Eido's brother to ascend to power in that region. My father set about securing his position and was determined not to repeat his own father's mistakes. He made friends, demon and human alike, and he dealt harshly with his enemies."

He paused in his story and extended the bow toward Rin, who took it, examining the carvings and writings that were scrawled across the bones. "Sesali was the one to kill the northern lord. She extracted the bones from his corpse and sent the remains back to his family with a message saying that, in death, he would help her defend the lands he stole. She then used the bones to construct this bow, which retains some of its youkai power to this day."

Rin looked up from where she was studying the weapon. "What happened to Sesali?"

Sesshoumaru looked less pleased as he reluctantly revealed, "She followed my father's lead and mated with a human. I have not seen her since I was very young, but I assume she is residing somewhere near what is likely an appalling number of hanyou offspring by now."

"Cousins?" Rin teased.

"I barely claim my brother," he reminded her. "Sesali's unfortunate children are not my family," he answered, then swiftly changed the subject by saying, "I have enough to irritate me with my uncle and his two brats. Raise the bow."

Nodding, Rin did as he asked, her hands clasping awkwardly at the bone-material as she tried to find a comfortable place to put her fingers.

"No," Sesshoumaru said instantly, finding himself inconvenienced by the lack of two functioning arms. It was difficult to train a novice at using what was obviously a two-handed weapon when the instructor only had one with which to demonstrate. Placing the arrows in the grass at their feet, he moved to stand behind Rin. He reached out and moved her fingers into place, first one hand and then the other, until they were in an adequate position.

Rin was suddenly very aware of how closely he was hovering over her, his fingers moving over hers to correct their grip with swift, gentle motions. Her mind began to register that this contact was not unwelcome at all and, simultaneously, her heartbeat began to pick up steadily of its own accord. Desperate to change the track of her thoughts, Rin focused intently on the bow, stammering slightly as she said, "This … this is awkward." She then blushed at the words, as they quite aptly described the situation as a whole.

"You'll adjust. That is the correct way to hold it," he assured her, stepping away for a moment to retrieve one of the arrows.

"Right," she answered, annoyed with herself but completely unable to deny that she was sorry he had moved away. _What is wrong with me? _she thought. _Come on, Rin, nothing but trouble will come out of thinking about him in those terms ..._

She turned to grasp the arrow he was offering her, steadfastly avoiding looking at him. _Nervous…I'm just nervous_, she said to herself as she allowed him to show her how to properly string the arrow. She pulled back as he instructed, let it go, and was instantly mortified when it fell at her feet.

"You were holding it too tightly," he said simply, handing her another and appearing completely unconcerned about her failure. The wind picked up slightly then, blowing her hair into her face. She paused to tie the errant strands back into a knot before picking up the bow again. Hearing a murmur of approval at her hand positions, she took the arrow he extended and tried again. This one was blown off course.

"It's too windy," she complained.

"If you are ever attacked, an assailant will not wait for a moment that is conveniently windless enough for you to shoot straight. You have to learn to alter your aim in such a case, but that will come later. For now, I will be satisfied once you hit that felled tree," he said, pointing past her to a rotting, moss-covered log that lay near the edge of the forest.

It was quickly apparent that satisfying him was going to take the entire evening. After nearly two hours of try after try, Rin had successfully shot an arrow everywhere except the log, almost all of which had fallen flat. She was beginning to wish she had not asked him to teach her to use a weapon, so embarrassed was she by her performance. Sesshoumaru, however, remained as composed as ever in the face of his student's growing frustration.

When darkness began to fall around him, he moved to take the bow away. "It's too dark for you to see. We will try this again tomorrow."

"No," Rin answered vehemently, her expression firm. "I'm going to do it."

Resolving to allow her to have her way, Sesshoumaru stepped away and seated himself on a nearby rock, watching as the young woman pulled back arrow after arrow only to have them fall short of their target again and again. He admired her determination, but had to admit that it was unlikely that she would be ready to face an opponent any time soon. She did not have an innate talent, but with enough time, he knew that skill could be taught and that would be enough.

Almost all of the women he had truly known in his life had been more than capable of taking care of themselves. Even Midoriko, human as she was, had been more than sufficient in that regard. Rin was vastly different; this was a girl whose heart was not meant to kill. Though he was willing to train her as she wished, he had the distinct feeling that, if given the opportunity to kill an attacker, she would hesitate with likely fatal results. Killing was simply not in her nature, and Sesshoumaru found that it was refreshing to be around a female that was not a hardened, trained warrior as were most youkai women.

His eyes followed the progress of another arrow, one that actually looked to be on course and carrying itself with enough velocity to…strike the target. The arrow embedded itself rather weakly into the outer skin of the fallen tree's bark, resting there a moment before falling to the ground. This was enough for Rin to declare victory and with a gleeful exclamation she hurried over, surprising him by grasping his hand between her two smaller ones, clutching at it as she said jubilantly, "Can you believe it? That was amazing!"

"Agreed," he said wryly, unable to keep from smiling slightly at her exuberance.

"Jaken-sama will never believe it …"

"No, he won't."

"We'll do it again tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes," he answered as she released his hand and returned to gather her new bow and the scattered arrows.

Sesshoumaru watched her as she piled the arrows into her arms. Her enthusiasm and energy were infectious; never before had he known someone who could be so easily pleased by such trivial things. He did not have the heart to tell her that that shot would have been lucky to scratch a youkai even by accident. It was a start, at least.

The wind blew past him again, this time carrying with it the scent of someone's approach. He stood, finding the smell to be familiar and not especially welcome, and his eyes fell to the young woman who was hovering at a distance that was a bit too far for his comfort.

"Rin," he called, "get away from the forest." She looked up at this command, but took it as a warning and immediately moved toward him, clutching the bow and arrows to her chest.

As she came to stand beside him, Sesshoumaru's eyes pierced the forest, waiting expectantly; a tall, lithe form emerged from the dark trees, moving out from the woods with a steady, inborn gracefulness. Fiercely violet eyes flashed in the moonlight as they locked on him.

"Sesshoumaru!" the female youkai called, as though greeting an old friend, her elegantly beautiful face breaking into a wide, white-fanged smile.

"Elif," he replied, sounding much less thrilled with the encounter than she seemed to be.

Rin alternately watched the face of the woman and Sesshoumaru, unsure if this was going to be a violent meeting or a friendly one. There was something about this "Elif" that she immediately distrusted, but perhaps that was due more to Sesshoumaru's reaction to her arrival than any particular gut instinct. She was attired in clothing that looked to have been made of very expensive material and, though she was rather ethereal-looking, there was something formidable about her that expressed itself silently as she walked sedately toward them.

Elif finally halted her forward motion a few steps away from Sesshoumaru, purposefully invading what most youkai would normally consider personal space. Sesshoumaru held his ground, staring at her with an exasperated expression.

"What do you want, Elif?" he asked her without further greeting.

"As rude as ever," she said teasingly, shaking her head as though amused by his poor manners. "But I've always liked that about you. You always get straight to the point."

"I would appreciate it if you would return that favor."

Elif's unnerving, eerily purple gaze moved slowly to Rin, who was still standing to one side, watching with undisguised curiosity. "A human girl?" Elif asked, with great interest. "Is it a pet for Jaken?"

"A _pet_?" Rin repeated incredulously, offense ringing in her tone. "I---"

"She is here at my invitation," Sesshoumaru interrupted.

"Ah, a guest?" Elif assumed, eyeing Rin with cool intrigue. "She's adorable, truly," she offered, still speaking as though Rin was some sort of creature that should be kept outside. "You must understand my confusion, Sesshoumaru. I have always thought you to be rather opposed to humans, violently so, actually." She turned her back on Rin, and smiled brilliantly up at Sesshoumaru once more. "But then you always have had a penchant for surprising us. Just a word of warning … don't get too attached to it, they die so easily."

"Why are you here?" he questioned again, sounding less patient by the word.

"My father asked me to request that you attend a meeting at our home. It is scheduled for two days from now. The other lords are expected to be there, as are the heads of the tribes, the territorial leaders, and a few others."

"Whatever business the other lords have with one another does not concern me," Sesshoumaru replied blandly, sounding bored.

"But _you_ are going to be one of the matters they discuss, my dear," Elif answered, that slick smile seemingly permanently etched into her face as she took another step toward him. It seemed to Rin like she was avoiding flinging herself at him by the barest thread of restraint.

"Then I suggest they find another topic," Sesshoumaru stated, tone frosty.

Elif went on, undaunted by the veiled threat. "My father and the others are…_concerned_...over the problems Naraku's escaped horde is creating. It is rumored that you had something to do with their reemergence."

"Your spy is inaccurate."

"Spy?" she replied innocently. "Honestly, Sesshoumaru, it's not spying … we just like to keep an eye on our friends. We've also heard that you managed to single-handedly eradicate a very large portion of Naraku's leftovers. You must understand why such a weapon would concern my father and the others. It might well shift the balance of power, though, personally, I don't care. You're stronger than my father already. I would trust you implicitly with such a weapon," she added ingratiatingly.

Unfazed by her attempt at flattery, Sesshoumaru said, "Again, your sources have no idea what they are talking about. I have yet to hear a sufficient reason for me to travel to the north."

Nodding as though in sympathetic agreement, Elif replied, "There is one other matter, though I think it will interest you even less. The humans have taken to blaming us for the actions of Naraku's horde. The little fools have been rather busy retaliating, as I am certain you have heard. Father says that we have granted them too much leeway and should perform an extermination of our own. He has widespread support. The humans have become far too much of a nuisance," Elif said, glancing slowly over in Rin's direction. "If you are unable to see to the humans in your domain, he is more than willing to do it for you."

Heart pounding and suddenly recalling the conversation of the other night in which Sesshoumaru had revealed his disgust toward humans, Rin fixed him with a nervous stare, waiting for his reply.

His face hardening into a cold expression, Sesshoumaru stepped closer to Elif and caught her with an icy glare. "Tell your father that if I find he has taken one step onto my lands without invitation, I will gut him personally, and any that come with him. I have not forgotten."

With a deep, martyred sigh, Elif shook her head as though indulging him of a tantrum. "Again, history rears its ugly head. I respect your decision, Sesshoumaru, but you know how the lords are when they gather in one place; each always trying to outdo the others. You are just the steadying influence we need," she told him, the suggestive smile creeping back into place. "I am certain that if you argue against them, a nasty conflict can be avoided. And I will admit that I am very much looking forward to seeing you again in a more personal setting. You know I've always been very fond of you."

"Inform them that I will be there. I look forward to discussing my displeasure with your father in person," Sesshoumaru said coolly, steadfastly ignoring the rest of her statement.

"Wonderful!" Elif exclaimed warmly, as though he had not just issued an obvious threat toward her father. "I look forward to your visit."

Sesshoumaru waited for Elif's scent to fade enough for him to feel certain that she had indeed left the area, then turned to find Rin watching him with a worried expression. Had she actually believed that he would stand for such a thing as an extermination of humans on his lands? He did not like the creatures, but it was not for the northern lord to dictate their collective demise.

"Will they really try to exterminate humans?" she finally asked quietly.

He answered her honestly, his words deadly serious as he said, "I cannot control what they do in their own territories, but it will be made perfectly clear that the only extermination they will find in the west is their own."

* * *

**To the Reviewers:**

_**Blaise: **Wow, that's awful to hear about that other girl. I can understand abandoning a story when there's an illness in the family, though. I just hope it wasn't mostly due to the spamming. That is very annoying. I don't understand how people think that that's actually going to make someone want to write, ya know? Weird. _

_**Kakurenbo: **Glad to hear that you're being converted:D I think Sesshoumaru's "lack of personality" just makes him all the more interesting. He's a bit enigmatic … makes you wonder about why he does certain things. But then, I adore him, so naturally I'll think he's flawless. ;)_

_**Aiwendil Amaurea: **Glad to hear that you think that transition came in smoothly! There's not going to be a whole lot more of Miroku and Sango in the rest of the chapters, unfortunately. I just don't have the ability to keep a story-line going that involves that many characters. ;) Inuyasha and Kagome will become more involved in what's going on with Sesshoumaru and Rin's side of things pretty soon, though. I have 4 more chapters to go on one of your stories, btw. I have had so little time! It's really so frustrating … basically, I'm either writing or reading. I can't do both at the same time. I'm hoping to get to it this week, though. Gotta see how it ends!_

_**New Fan: **Ahhhhhh, God. I can't just tell you all that! ;) It would totally ruin the story! You'll see very soon. Although, I can say that I'm pretty darn sure that Sesshoumaru and Rin are getting together at the end of this. Well, mostly. It's hard to explain, but you'll see. I'm planning another story, so there will be more "getting together" in that one. ;) They'll be set up for being together at the end of this, though._

_**Badgerwolf: **Yep, had to give her a readjustment period! Can you imagine living with those two? Yikes … poor thing. ;) I usually just avoid the dub all together … I much prefer the Japanese episodes._

_**Silver Spell: **As you probably just read, it's definitely not the cat demon … I think her name was Koura, right? Something like that. Nope, I created my own female youkai. There's a big conflict between those families, though, so she has just no hope of getting her hands on him. Hey, who can blame her for trying? ;) Of course I wasn't upset at your suggestion. It helped, actually. And we didn't get much jealous Rin in this one, but the claws will come out later, don't worry. Mostly because Elif is just a raving bitch. ;)_

_**Wingless Angel: **LOL! Glad you liked it so much … I know someone's serious when they use the Caps Lock key. ;) And, as I said earlier, this thing will probably start moving much faster as soon as I get on winter vacation. I'm looking forward to having more time for it!_

_**Holly Night: **Awww, thanks! I'm scared that it's going to be a novel before I'm finished with it. ;) Seriously, this thing's gonna wind up being like 130,000 words. That's insane, but I'm having so much fun._

_**Crystal: **I'm relieved to hear you say that, because it's been a looooong time since I've seen the episode with Midoriko. I really should go rewatch the thing, since this story has shifted waaaay far from where it was originally supposed to go. Thanks for the compliments!_


	14. Similar Hearts

**Chapter Fourteen - Similar Hearts**

Clutching apprehensively at Ah-Un's reins, Rin gawked at the massive, imposing visage of the northern lord's home; although it seemed to her less a house and more a fortress. Green-grey stone walls loomed upward, shooting toward the sky with turrets that reminded her strongly of clawed hands. The few windows were rather small, which must have been a shame for those that lived within the walls, since the landscape outside was some of the prettiest Rin had ever seen, filled with tall trees, a crystal clear lake, and fields overflowing with wildflowers. Still, despite the beauty of the land, the construction she was looking at had obviously been built by someone who was accustomed to, and expected, war to come to him.

"Are you sure it's all right for me to be here?" she asked nervously, the distant sounds of some strange, foreign music whispering past her ears. The castle was lit up, as though beckoning its guests, but for obvious reasons, Rin did not feel particularly welcome.

"It is if I say it is," Sesshoumaru responded with his usual certainty, looking far less awed and more exasperated at even having to be there at all. He had little interest or patience for the ridiculous social affairs that took place whenever one of the lords or wealthier territorial leaders decided to put himself and his possessions on display.

With the strange events that had surrounded himself and Rin since he had returned for her, he had been admittedly apprehensive at the idea of leaving her behind, which was why she was currently walking beside him. Jaken was a laughable guardian, making leaving her at home an even more unattractive option than bringing her. Taking her back to Kameko's village was not much better, and so he had instructed her to come with him. Of course, there was the added bonus that her presence would make most of the other youkai uncomfortable or, better yet, annoyed; a silent statement that their rules did not apply to him.

As they both walked toward the northern lord's imposing home, leaving Ah-Un behind to entertain himself, Rin nervously smoothed out her kimono. It was beautiful and brand new, pale and flowery and quite necessary, since none of the clothing she had brought from Kameko's had been suitable for such an event. She had felt very elegant while in front of the mirror at Sesshoumaru's home; now, next to him, she felt pitifully underdressed and unprepared for what she was about to walk into. She glanced quickly over at him, feeling completely out-of-place, as though she had no business walking with him. He was dressed very formally as well, something she had never seen before, and though it suited him, it only heightened her feelings of displacement.

They ascended the stairs and entered the overly-bright foyer, which was filled with an odd assortment of people. There were demons of every variety she could name (_and many more that she could not_) standing about, some chatting animatedly in groups, some glaring warily at their obvious enemies, and others remaining alone at the fringe, watching with bored looks that spoke of where they would much rather be.

Looking around her in amazement at the opulent display while trying to appear nonchalant, Rin studiously avoided the looks that were cast her way as she walked in beside Sesshoumaru. She could practically feel the collective weight of dozens of stares and doubted that any of them were friendly. Briefly, she wondered how this would affect Sesshoumaru's image among them. She did not bother to ask him; he would only scoff and tell her that there were very few things he cared less about. Sesshoumaru was, if nothing else, secure in his sense of superiority.

Much to Rin's chagrin, Elif's timing was as perfect as she looked. The beautiful dog demon swept in apparently out of nowhere almost as soon as they entered her father's home, attaching herself at Sesshoumaru's side like a parasite. Rin unconsciously drew herself up to her full height, her throat tightening angrily. Was she about to have to endure an evening of Elif falling all over Sesshoumaru? She sincerely hoped not. Elif was a revolting woman and Rin could only hope that Sesshoumaru had already reached that conclusion on his own.

"Hello, Sesshoumaru," Elif practically purred. Rin watched as she shoved her arm through his, her delicately clawed hand twisting familiarly around his forearm. Disgusting creature, Rin thought, her face darkening.

Apparently oblivious to Rin's presence, Elif went on, "I'm glad you came in time for the dinner. I---"

"Dinner?" Sesshoumaru asked, his mouth set in a firm line, and Rin was gratified to see that, again, he looked very displeased by Elif's presence. "I was told that this was a meeting."

"Well, we can hardly set you all to tearing out each other's throats without a proper meal, now can we?" Elif asked, as though that was the silliest idea that could ever have occurred to her. "And I went to a lot of trouble for this dinner. Since you are my special guest I wanted to make certain that we would be serving things that would appeal to you, so I asked Iwa to borrow his cook, Natsuko. Do you remember her? She worked for your father when you were a child."

"You've done your research," Sesshoumaru murmured tonelessly.

"Of course," Elif replied, looking very pleased that he would notice. "She's very excited to see you, so maybe you should drop by the kitchen before you ---" Elif trailed off and peered around Sesshoumaru's body to see Rin, noticing her for the first time, her expression that of someone who had just encountered a bad smell.

"I see you brought your house guest," Elif said slowly, as though fully expecting Sesshoumaru to explain that Rin was merely a figment of her imagination.

"Yes," Sesshoumaru replied succinctly, disengaging his arm from Elif's grasp.

Nodding lightly and watching Rin with eyes that were anything but friendly, Elif murmured, "I suppose you will want her to sit beside you?"

"That would be expected."

"Then I will need to see that the seating arrangement is rearranged," she sighed, looking as though she heartily wished that Rin would make her life less complicated by simply dispersing into a cloud of vapor.

"Seating arrangement?" Sesshoumaru repeated distastefully.

"Of course, my dear," Elif answered, turning her brilliant smile up at him again. "When you have this many demons gathered in one place, it really does become an important component for a peaceful dinner. I can't very well have sworn enemies having to sit side by side, now can I? It's much easier to settle matters beforehand by ensuring that those eating around you do not have an immediate interest in your demise."

_That would be the only way this evening would be interesting_, Sesshoumaru thought, watching as Elif hurried away to see to her new task.

"I despise parties," he muttered to Rin, now fully aware that this was exactly what he had walked into.

"I don't blame you," she answered reassuringly.

"Sesshoumaru," another voice called, this time male and belonging to one of the most intimidating-looking individuals Rin had ever seen. This demon, of a kind she could not recognize, was enormous. _Bear demon? _she wondered curiously. He was a head taller than Sesshoumaru and almost twice as wide, dressed mostly in some type of gleaming silver armor and a black furred pelt. "I'm surprised to see you here. This type of event is hardly your style."

"Surprised?" Sesshoumaru questioned oddly. "Then you are not aware of the message I received from Elif? She told me that there was wide-spread support for a massive human extermination and that, if I did not participate, you and the others would be willing to step in and perform the task in my stead."

Rin jumped slightly when the supposed bear demon let out a roaring laugh. "Did she _really_ say that to you?" he asked, sounding highly amused, face split by an amused, boyish grin.

"Yes," Sesshoumaru responded coolly, eyes narrowed in annoyance. "How odd that I did not find it nearly so funny, Furu."

"It's absurd. Do you think Isamu and I have nothing else better to do than to go clean up after you? Your humans are your business. Destroying the human population would be like trying to swat down a bunch of flies; they're annoying as hell, but the effort to get rid of them would be even more of an inconvenience." His wide brown eyes flitted toward Rin with more curiosity than hostility. "You brought her as some sort of statement?"

"No. She is here for reasons that are no one else's concern."

"You always were rebellious," Furu lightly chided, sounding oddly pleased at the same time. "I thought age would solve that, but it appears only to have made it worse."

"You know nothing about Eizan's intent to destroy the humans?" Sesshoumaru inquired, his patience clearly waning.

"I didn't say I knew nothing about it, just that Isamu and I have no part in it. I've heard the same rumors, though from what I can tell it comes mostly from the northern lord; odd concerning the nocturnal habits of some of his children. They seem overtly affectionate toward humans, if you take my meaning," he said, with a suggestive raise of his eyebrows. "I believe it is more of a plot between Eizan and his allies. They want more territory and the recent human retaliation is an excellent excuse to take some."

"He is a fool."

"Perhaps, but then who would have thought you would rise as the great defender of the humans?" Furu asked, watching Sesshoumaru with great interest. "I doubt Eizan will see that one coming."

"Not the humans … my territory," Sesshoumaru corrected.

"Of course," Furu agreed patronizingly, aiming another sly look at Rin. "You forget how well I knew your father, Sesshoumaru." He ended the conversation on that cryptic note, leaving Sesshoumaru to watch his departure with obvious displeasure.

* * *

By the time everyone began making their way to dinner, Rin's head was spinning crazily. She had stayed at Sesshoumaru's side the entire evening, but had never felt more invisible. Actually, she preferred invisible to some of the looks that were tossed her way, but no one seemed brave enough to say anything, which made her feel secure enough not to worry excessively about it.

Strangely, what irritated her the most was the familiarity with which some of the women approached Sesshoumaru. None of them had been nearly as disgusting as Elif, but their blatant attempts at catching his attention were nauseating nonetheless. Rin was aware that she was being ridiculously possessive, but she did care about him and hated the idea of him winding up with someone like Elif. The evening was displaying to her the inevitability of the future: one of these women could very well wind up as Sesshoumaru's wife, a fact that Rin found she was not particularly pleased about.

_He's smart … he'll pick well_, she tried to console herself. But, honestly, she didn't like the idea of _anyone_ becoming his wife. Unlike with Elif, he did not seem especially opposed to the company of some of the other women …. _Where is this jealousy coming from? _Rin thought, frowning lightly at her thoughts._ It's not like he's mine. _

Elif did indeed see to it that Rin was seated at Sesshoumaru's left at dinner, but it was the individual at Rin's other side that caused her the greatest discomfort of the evening. For a paranoid moment, she wondered if this had been a purposeful attempt by Elif to make her as uncomfortable as possible, but did not see how the youkai woman could have known of Rin's intense dislike for the wolf demon, Kouga. Elif had airily explained that Kouga had been the only other demon present that she was certain would not be offended by being seated beside a human, a statement that she alone had seemed to find charmingly amusing.

Kouga, for his part, had responded as Elif had figured; he did not seem to mind Rin's presence, but then again, he was unaware that she held him responsible for the slaughter of her village, and rightfully so. Rin highly doubted that he would have felt so at ease with her near him if he could only catch a glimpse of the hateful thoughts that were swarming inside her head.

"I heard that Naraku's demons found you," Kouga said by way of greeting to Sesshoumaru.

"And not you?" Sesshoumaru questioned as the wolf demon, completely oblivious to Rin's horrified stare, dropped casually into his seat.

"Heh … nope. I've been moving around a lot more recently, keeping an eye on some problems that have been developing along one of our borders. If I had known they were out and looking for me, I would have waited for them to catch up." Kouga eyed the other demons that were seating themselves at various places around the long, massive table. "Nothing gives you indigestion like trying to eat in a room full of posturing, self-important aristocrats," he muttered, then glanced up at where Sesshoumaru was still standing. "No offense."

Sesshoumaru ignored the comment, suddenly acutely aware of the fixed, frozen look on Rin's face.

"Rin," he said to catch her attention, pointing at the chair Elif had meant for him. Snapping out of her momentary reverie, Rin gratefully switched seats, sitting down and staring directly ahead of her, her skin crawling at the knowledge that the wolf demon was so near to her. _Murderer … _she thought viciously, her pulse rising as she debated as to which action would bring her more satisfaction: steadfastly ignoring his existence or attempting to strangle him.

Once the other guests were seated, Elif returned to them, apparently irritated to find that they had altered her arrangement. With a sweet-voiced request, she quickly corrected matters so that she was situated between Kouga and Sesshoumaru. A door at the back of the room opened, admitting three rather imposing-looking male demons. They each resembled each other in various ways, enough so that Rin could only assume that they were related. The elder demon seated himself at the head of the table, only a few seats down from Rin. Almost instantly his fierce, violet gaze fell on her with an icy look that made her suddenly wish that Sesshoumaru had allowed her to wait outside with Ah-Un.

One of the men he had entered with leaned over and whispered something into the elder demon's ear before leaning back and smiling at her, though whether it was a benign or malevolent smile, Rin could not tell.

She looked away from them and concentrated on the food-laden table, her nose registering many foreign smells she had never encountered before. And, in truth, there was not a dish in front of her that she recognized at all. It all looked strange to her, but she did not want to appear rude by not eating, so decided to start with whatever looked the most appetizing. Before she could actually reach for anything, Sesshoumaru turned and spoke quietly.

"Be careful of what you eat."

"I don't recognize any of this," she whispered back honestly, eyeing the dishes suspiciously. "Is there anything here that won't try to eat me back?"

"Are you not hungry, human girl?" Elif called, peering around Sesshoumaru and looking faintly annoyed that his attention had been diverted. "Try that green leafy one over there. It's my favorite," she suggested with a smile.

"It's also poisonous to humans," Sesshoumaru said scathingly, pushing the dish toward Elif.

"Oh, is it? Forgive me, I wouldn't have known. I don't interact with humans," she apologized with that same falsely sweet expression.

"Stick with those three," Sesshoumaru instructed, carefully pointing out each to Rin. "The rest are known to be rather…unkind to human digestion. Only the one would be lethal, but I do not think you would come to appreciate some of the ingredients in the others."

With this grim warning circling inside her head, Rin managed to make her way through dinner by eating as sparingly as she could, an attempt that was aided by a sincere lack of appetite. Listening to Elif chatter at Sesshoumaru throughout the meal was setting her on edge; at times the conversation took a suggestive turn that made Rin wish desperately that she was deaf, but Sesshoumaru's curt responses were heartening. At least he didn't seem to be enjoying himself.

Taking a steadying drink from the cup that was settled next to her plate, and hoping very much that it was nothing toxic, she purposefully diverted her attention to some of the other guests, most of whom were speaking politely to those around them. She recognized Furu, the bear demon and, she had learned, the southern lord, as being almost directly across from her. She could tell that he was having a good time; that raucous laughter could be heard up and down the length of the table.

This place was like an entirely different society and culture; Rin could not escape the feeling that she had somehow wandered into some sort of foreign country where the inhabitants just happened to speak the same language. It was a disorienting experience.

Her night did not improve when, after the dinner, Elif immediately separated her from Sesshoumaru, ushering her away with a cheery promise that she would be returned in one piece, a guarantee Rin did not whole-heartedly believe. Once they were away from the crowd, Elif turned and led her wordlessly up a flight of magnificently carved stairs, past strange objects that Rin assumed were pieces of art. The northern lord's home was very beautiful, but not welcoming in the least, giving off the feeling that one should look, but not touch. Weighing what she was seeing around her with her familiarity with Sesshoumaru's home, she could easily guess at the vast differences in personalities between the two men, and was not overly surprised that they despised each other.

Rin had disliked Elif from the moment the female dog demon had arrived at Sesshoumaru's home, but now, as she was led to their intended destination, she hated the woman even more. They had entered a large, ornately furnished room, which was filled with conversing demons, many of whom were women, almost all of whom turned to look at Rin as though she was some strange rodent that had somehow managed to skitter into their midst.

She was certain that this was going to be the longest night of her life.

* * *

Ready for the evening to be over, Sesshoumaru listened impatiently as Eizan, the northern lord, recounted for everyone the details as to why they had been invited, his loud, accented voice grating on Sesshoumaru's nerves. Seated around him were approximately two dozen other demons, male and female, of all species and societal ranks, all wearing varying expressions of seriousness, lackluster interest, or disdain.

Like Furu, Isamu, who had seated himself beside Sesshoumaru, had been quick to deny any part of a plot to invade Sesshoumaru's territory. Sesshoumaru believed him, though whether the entire idea had been invented by Elif in order to make sure that Sesshoumaru came or if it indeed had some truth to it, he was certain he was about to find out.

"We are all gathered here because of a shared concern, that being the ramifications of the reappearance of the demon known as Naraku. Several of you have already experienced your own encounters with his horde, as it has become obvious that the intent is to create as much disruption as possible," Eizan was saying. "And it appears to be working quite well. I think many of us have witnessed the manner in which the humans have reacted to this resurgence." Eizan's bright amethyst eyes fixed on Sesshoumaru then, a faintly polite smile crossing his features, but Sesshoumaru could see the malice behind the expression and stared resolutely back, unblinking.

"Fortunately for us, Lord Sesshoumaru has graced us with his presence, as he seems, once again, to be deeply involved in the matter of Naraku. Perhaps you can shed some light on the subject, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru's posture and expression remained set as nearly two dozen pairs of eyes turned to rest on him. "The matter is resolved. You can expect nothing further from Naraku because he is dead. It his is demon horde that is running rampant. Do not confuse the two."

"Then you are certain he cannot fully return?" a voice called from the shadowy end of the room.

"Not in the form he used before. It is possible that the horde could merge with another host body, but that becomes less and less likely as more of them are destroyed."

"And you had absolutely nothing to do with their reemergence?" Eizan questioned with what sounded like mild suspicion.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as he turned to regard the northern lord once more, aware that the other demons in the room were slowly realizing that this meeting was more than a discussion of tactics; it appeared to involve a personal battle between the two lords. _So he wants to lay suspicion at my feet, eh? _"Are you really that stupid, Eizan?" Sesshoumaru asked, pleased to see the other demon's face morph into a pinched, angry expression. "Or is it simply a result of your rapidly progressing paranoia?"

"Paranoia?" Eizan harshly clipped the word. "I find it very interesting that this newly-risen group of demons, this horde that you supposedly helped destroy, assembled itself from within your borders and attacked only those you perceive as your foes: myself and your half-brother among that group."

"I like very few people, Eizan," Sesshoumaru said with a slight, malicious smile. "The odds were that those demons would attack people I dislike. If I have a problem with you, I will deal with you directly. I don't have the time or the patience to assemble so ridiculous an offensive. As for my brother, it is likely evident to everyone in this room, except apparently you, that he and Naraku wanted each other dead. And, if you do truly believe I am behind this attacking horde, can you explain why it was that my own residence was targeted?" Sesshoumaru gave a pause, peering intently at his host. "You should find yourself another informant. He's causing you unnecessary embarrassment."

"Yes, I know that you were attacked, though whether that episode was arranged or not is anyone's guess," Eizan went on, his features dark and accusing. "I also know for a fact that you single-handedly wiped out hundreds of them on your own. As formidable as Toukijin is, I do not believe it could have inflicted such damage. Perhaps you can explain this new weapon you've acquired? I am certain I am not the only one in this room who would be interested to hear of it."

"How I defend myself is none of your business."

"On the contrary, Sesshoumaru," another demon called smoothly from across the table, and Sesshoumaru recognized him instantly as one of Eizan's cronies, "it becomes of grave concern to me when someone as secluded and ill-tempered as yourself is armed with a weapon that can easily wipe out hundreds of demons at a time. What's to keep you from doing the same to me or anyone else seated here?"

"You are not worth the effort," Sesshoumaru answered readily, ignoring the rumbling of discontent that came from this statement. "I did not come to this meeting to explain my actions against the horde. My purpose here is to make it clear that none of you are to enter my domain for any purpose without an expressed invitation."

"That sounds like a veiled threat to me," one of Eizan's sons lazily accused.

"It was not veiled. If you like, I can make it even clearer," Sesshoumaru said, fixing Eizan with an unblinking stare. "If you step one foot within my territory with the intent of harming anything that resides within it, you will meet the most excruciating end I can devise. Did you get all of that this time, Keito?" he asked, turning a contemptuous look on Eizan's son.

"No one is going to do any such thing, Sesshoumaru," Isamu said slowly, frowning deeply at the disintegrating tone of the meeting.

"Ah, did I spoil your suggestion then, Eizan?" Sesshoumaru asked. "Or was it something that was meant to be kept between yourself and your bootlickers?"

"I'm not quite sure that I know what you're referring to," Eizan said, his polite smile sliding slowly back into place.

"Then speak to your daughter. She's either exceptionally well-informed or delusional.

"She is neither, I assure you."

"Then you have no plans to start a war with the humans?"

"I do not deny that that has been an idea I have considered. I think we've all grown weary of the problems the humans have brought to us, crowding onto our lands, attacking, exterminating…it seems the longer we go without putting them back into their stations, the more overconfident they become. How strange that such a plan would upset you so, Sesshoumaru. I had thought you would be pleased by such a move, not angered by it." Eizan paused his speech and then shook his head. "But, then again, your father was a great lover of humans. I should not be shocked that you would degenerate into one as well."

"I have no interest in humans, their lives, or lack thereof," Sesshoumaru replied. "And do not fool yourself by bringing my father into this. I am not nearly as forgiving as he tended to be. This is as much diplomacy as you will get from me. As for the rest of you," Sesshoumaru said in an unmistakable tone of warning, "as long as you respect my borders, you can expect no conflict with me. I would suggest, however, that our host's actions and motives bear closer scrutiny."

Without further comment, Sesshoumaru rose from his seat to leave, ignoring the soft murmurings that were coming from the assembled guests.

"We are not finished here, Sesshoumaru," Eizan reminded him coldly.

"I am."

* * *

Having given up any hope of civilized conversation with the demons inside the northern lord's home, Rin had finally managed to escape to a nearly empty hallway. There she was at least granted a respite from all the stares, snide comments, or stupid questions, most of them having to do with Sesshoumaru and why she was with him. Some had been appalled at the idea that Sesshoumaru might possibly have softened up so much as to allow a human to live within his residence. Others had warned Rin that she would be wise to stay away from him, that he was known for his intolerance and violent tendencies toward humans. Mostly, she had been unprepared for the manner in which the demon women had swooped in on her, like birds to prey, alternately picking at her with questions and politely disguised insults.

She felt slightly ill, though whether it was from the odd foods she had consumed or the company she had been in, she was not sure. All she knew was that she was ready to leave this place, having resorted to pacing lightly back and forth, her head constantly turning to look in either direction, hoping that Sesshoumaru's form would suddenly materialize and tell her it was time to go.

A soft rush of movement behind her caused her to whirl around and gasp in surprise when she found that a demon man was standing only inches from her. His face was vaguely familiar. The dark wavy hair and violet eyes suggested a relation to Elif, which sparked a memory from during dinner: this had been one of the men that had entered with the northern lord.

"Did my sister and her friends manage to run you out of the room?" he questioned humorously, his tone so polite that it made her suspicious.

"No … it was … I just came out for some fresh air."

"I can understand that. Elif is a bit…overpowering. My name is Ashihei. I am her younger brother," he offered, sounding as though he believed she should be impressed.

"Nice to meet you," Rin said, trying to sound sincere. She made no comment on his statement about Elif, not wanting to be forced to lie or offend. Again her eyes traveled longingly down the corridor, hoping to find Sesshoumaru heading in her direction, but all she saw was endless emptiness that was filled only by the sound of Ashihei's voice.

"You know, you were quite the surprise tonight," he informed her conversationally, reaching out to straighten a painted scroll that was hanging at a very slight angle on the wall behind her.

"Oh?"

"Yes. Your presence has greatly dismayed several of the women. Sesshoumaru rarely comes to these types of functions. They feel they've missed their chance."

"I'm not following you," Rin admitted with a frown, feeling dense.

"Ah, well … as Sesshoumaru is one of the highest-ranking single males, he is quite a prospect in the eyes of most female youkai. Eventually, he'll have to take a mate and I can name a dozen women in this castle tonight, my sister among them, who intend to be the one he chooses. It's rather an ugly business, but there you have it."

_Just as I thought_, Rin considered silently, her stomach clenching suddenly. _Gods, what had she _eaten _…? _Whatever it was, she hoped it was nothing that would prove to be fatal. "And what do I have to do with this? I am no interference. My relationship with Sesshoumaru-sama is not…like that," she said awkwardly, refocusing on the conversation.

"Isn't it? That's good to know … it will make matters easier for my sister. She's excessively enamored with Sesshoumaru and I would hate to consider what might happen if she came to view you as competition."

_Is he threatening me?_ she wondered silently, but his expression had not changed from friendly, which in and of itself was enough to make her wonder. She could entirely understand why Sesshoumaru hated youkai gatherings. How did one tell where one stood with these beings? A polite smile and a kind word could as easily signify honest friendliness as it could a death threat. Rin's head was beginning to ache.

"Just a warning," he said quickly, as though reading her mind. "My sister is quite spoiled. She always gets what she wants and, forgive my honesty, but she despises humans. I don't think she would allow for one as a rival." He moved a little closer and dropped his voice. "I, on the other hand, have no such prejudice. I rather like humans at times, particularly human women. They're rather quaint … not nearly as competitive and overbearing as youkai females tend to be."

Rin decided she did not like the turn this conversation was taking and briefly considered returning to the room full of youkai, an act that would be truly desperate. _Sesshoumaru-sama…I hope you're finished soon, _she thought. Waiting outside with Ah-Un was becoming more and more attractive...

"You are very lovely," Ashihei said suddenly, causing Rin to look back up at him with an expression she hoped didn't look nearly as appalled as she felt. "I would not be surprised to hear that Sesshoumaru had become infatuated with you. I know I find you to be very charming," he said, flashing a fanged grin at her that she supposed was meant to be disarming. "In fact, I wonder if you would be interested in spending the rest of the evening with me? Your escort will likely be kept in that meeting for a long while. The lords never break away from each other unless they're all certain they've had their say. I can rescue you from my sister, show you the rest of the fortress ..." Before Rin could even protest, he had reached out and grasped onto her elbow with a grip that assumed his suggestion would meet with no resistance.

"I don't think …," she began uncomfortably, but was cut short.

"There is no sense in you standing out here alone," he said, sounding slickly reasonable. "You have nothing to fear from me, if that is what is concerning you. On the other hand, I cannot say as to what might occur if you were to remain out here alone. I won't deny that there are those in this castle that would wish you ill. Come, you will be safest with---"

Rin nearly jumped out of her skin as a tall form suddenly materialized behind Ashihei, looming with an aura of imminent destruction. Before the young demon could even turn his head, a sharply clawed hand reached around to clasp onto his throat with enough strength to create five evenly-spaced puncture wounds in the skin. Ashihei looked as though he had just been strung up on a fishing line, his eyes bulging slightly, body stiffly erect from being held at such an odd angle.

"Don't struggle, I'll lose my temper," Sesshoumaru spoke in a tone that suggested he wished very much that his victim would ignore the warning. "Where precisely were you intending to take her, Ashihei?" he asked with interest, loosening his hold on the demon's throat just enough to allow him to speak.

"Nowhere in particul---" he was cut off again as the hand clamped down once more.

"Liar," Sesshoumaru said. "Exactly how many hanyou bastards are you up to now? Five? Six?" he inquired, his face murderously cold as he released his hold on the younger demon and shoved him roughly forward.

"You exaggerate, Sesshoumaru-sama," Ashihei replied, rubbing gingerly at the wounds that had been torn into his neck as he looked down the hallway, likely hoping for someone to come to his aid. "Only four now. I think one died not long ago …. In any case, you have nothing to be angry about. I was only behaving as a proper host. I _like_ humans."

"Yes, I am aware," Sesshoumaru sneered contemptuously, looking as though he was giving serious thought to throttling the demon once more. Ashihei seemed to sense this and took another strategic step backward, obviously aiming for distance.

"I was only meaning to speak with her about your … er … relationship. On my sister's behalf, of course."

"Tell your sister to mind her own business and keep her mouth shut."

"You see?" Ashihei asked rhetorically, that easy grin smearing across his face once more. "That is _precisely_ what Elif needs; someone to keep her in line. Father's given her free reign for far too long. You would be an excellent match for her."

"I don't have a large enough cage," Sesshoumaru coolly replied, ignoring the affronted look on Ashihei's face. "Rin, we're leaving."

She watched, wide-eyed, as he turned his back and began striding down the hallway. Purposefully avoiding another glance at Ashihei, Rin followed him, remaining silent until they were outside, surrounded by a warm summer night and contentedly chirping insects. Immediately, it was as though an enormous weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she realized that rescue could come in all forms. There was no way she would have preferred to spent the evening traipsing after Ashihei, the victim of an unwanted tour and questionable intentions.

"You're angry," she finally said, looking up at him.

"Yes."

"Did the meeting go badly?"

"I said what I needed to say and left. It went as well as expected."

"Then what are you upset about?" she questioned curiously.

He did not answer her, instead staring straight ahead as Ah-Un noticed their approach and rose to stand. A bright moon was hanging overhead, casting a peaceful glow that did not reach Sesshoumaru. _Why am I angry?_ he repeated to himself. It was not the meeting; he was accustomed to that kind of confrontation with other youkai. If anything, it was quite satisfying to occasionally remind those around him of who he was and where they stood in relation to him. Though the meeting had not contributed to a pleasant mood on his part, it had not been until he had witnessed Ashihei reaching out for Rin's arm, clasping it in an attempt to lure her away with him, that a true anger had manifested itself. Likely the northern lord's inept son would have done nothing harmful; it would have been obvious even to him that any inappropriate behavior would have ended in his own execution. Still, Sesshoumaru could not deny that the action had infuriated him just the same. It had provoked an instantaneous and admittedly possessive reaction.

This was not a feeling he was unaccustomed to. Rin had been very important to him for a long time; he recognized that and accepted it as truth. What was stunningly different about what had just occurred that evening was that this feeling of jealousy was coming from someplace else; less from the standard brotherly affection and more from a type of possessiveness that was anything but.

His fingers twitched absently at his sides as he continued to walk, her footsteps almost like drumbeats to his ears, her breathing steady and even, her scent subtly encapsulating every inhalation of air. It was completely unacceptable. She was invading _everything_; his home, his thoughts, his behavior. And worst of all, he didn't mind.

* * *

Sesshoumaru prided himself on his ability to handle anything. Rarely was he caught by surprise, even more rarely did he ever find himself in a situation in which he was unprepared. But he had never encountered a violently ill human before.

It seemed the youkai food that had been served at the northern lord's home had reacted very badly with Rin, who had returned home feeling slightly sick and who was now verging on miserable as her stomach worked ceaselessly to expel the last vestiges of anything she had eaten.

Disgusted beyond even complaint, Jaken had kept himself far away from Rin, horrified at this strange illness that had seized her. As a demon, he was unaccustomed to such things, though Sesshoumaru did give him credit for attempting to think of a way to make the girl well.

"Maybe…they're like cats…maybe they eat grass to settle that sort of stomach ailment, eh, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken questioned as he sat perched on the railed deck that surrounded the outside of his master's home. Sesshoumaru was seated as well and looking out at the large pond, watching as large ripples of water spread out, signifying the presence of a fish that had just caught itself an insect dinner.

He remained quiet, unwilling to even respond to so stupid a proposal. Truthfully, he did not know _what _humans did in such a situation, though it seemed logical to him that if something in particular was causing the ailment, the best course of action would be for the human to rid itself of it, something Rin had done with admirable efficiency. Still, it was his lack of knowledge that had his ears perked and listening in the direction of her room. If anything went too wrong, he would be quick to know. He knew what the sound of a dying human was like and that was not what was coming from Rin's room. Deep breaths from sleep … thudding heartbeat … that was all now that she had finally settled down.

"I think perhaps cattle are the same way … have you heard that, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Jaken," Sesshoumaru finally said lowly. "Go _away_."

* * *

Inside her room, huddled under a pile of blankets, Rin was in a semi-sleep, unable to find a way to make herself comfortable enough to achieve true unconsciousness. Her stomach felt like it was being consumed by molten lava, an unpleasant enough feeling without the additional complaint of being too hot with the blankets, and too cold without them. She simply laid there, a miserable heap of human flesh, until finally, a depthless sleep swallowed her …

… _She walked toward the familiar, dark-haired form that was seated near the wide, gurgling stream, thinking that there was something almost child-like in the innocence of this place and its inhabitant. Midoriko looked up from her silent reverie, smiling in pleasant surprise when she noticed Rin's arrival._

"_How strange," she murmured. "Did you find me this time?"_

"_I don't know … I'm just here," Rin replied, kneeling in the cool grass beside Midoriko, whose lap was filled with about a dozen long-stemmed yellow flowers._

"_I'm not sure how it works, either," Midoriko confessed, plucking one of the velvety petals off of a flower and tossing it into the water, watching as it was swirled away. The two girls were silent for several moments, before Midoriko said, "He believed my warning. I am glad, though I had hoped he would have received it a little sooner."_

"_I am sorry," Rin apologized. "I thought it was just a dream. When I did tell him, he was concerned that you might actually be someone else in disguise, a man named Ashrem."_

"_Ashrem," Midoriko replied slowly, dreamily, then something in her expression changed, as though she had just woken from a deep sleep. She blinked and looked fully at Rin. "Yes, Ashrem, he is the one I was trying to warn you about. He is plotting something, I can feel it." Her face softened again then, the worry fading slightly. "But Kagome is strong. She's doing very well against him."_

_Rin frowned. "Against him? Don't you mean against Naraku?"_

_Midoriko shook her head, her long hair spilling over her shoulders. "No. That threat has been mostly vanquished. It is Ashrem that now concerns me." She eyed Rin carefully, before saying in a warmer tone, "We shouldn't even be discussing such complex things. You are sick; you will not remember."_

"_Why don't you speak directly to Sesshoumaru? I think that would be better than trying to go through me," Rin prodded gently, feeling somehow certain that Sesshoumaru was bothered by these dream-cast conversations._

_Midoriko tossed another small handful of petals into the stream, looking thoughtful. "I did not go to him for several reasons. For one, it is difficult; the youkai mind is more complex than that of a human. He does not sleep often, anyway, and I feared he would reject me, not understanding. His mind is so closed."_

"_And the other reasons?"_

_Putting aside the pile of flowers, Midoriko leaned forward and peered into the water, answering slowly as she seemed to regard her own reflection. "I'm not entirely sure I want to see what is in his mind. Sometimes it is better to cling to old memories, especially when they are enough."_

"_You cared about him very much," Rin prompted, wishing the girl would be more forthcoming._

"_I loved him," Midoriko corrected instantly. "I still do. But, as I told you before, he was a different person when I knew him. I'm not sure if my feelings would remain the same if I knew the man he is today."_

_Staring at Midoriko in complete astonishment, Rin wondered exactly what there had been between this girl and Sesshoumaru. The idea of a romantic involvement between them had never entered her thoughts, so sure was she in his distance toward humans. "Did he---?"_

"_Love me back?" Midoriko finished the question for her. She considered that for a moment, then answered honestly, "No, I don't believe so. Not beyond friendly affection, anyway."_

_Rin went very quiet, thinking over Midoriko's words as a windless breeze ruffled their hair. She felt sorry for her, but strangely, this admission and her honest assessment of Sesshoumaru's response brought on a melancholy of her own. He could not love a human, though whether it was due to a decision or his inherent feelings, Rin did not know. She did know that this new understanding was crushingly disappointing. In that moment she could relate very much to Midoriko, for Rin had a sudden glimpse into her own heart and saw that she was likely heading down the same path as the girl that was sitting beside her. Though her quietly surging feelings for Sesshoumaru were not intentional, it was painful to think that any reciprocation on his part would likely be repressed._

_She was not sure where the change had occurred; where he had gone from her dear friend to a romantic interest, but the signs of it had been growing increasingly evident to her. She only hoped that it was not nearly so obvious to him._

"_It's easy, isn't it? It comes completely out of nowhere, seizes you, traps you, and then you have no way out of it," Midoriko was saying. "Or maybe it's because you don't really want a way out of it." She laughed then, turning a sympathetic expression on Rin. "Three hundred years later and I am still sorting out my feelings. I wish you more luck with your own, Rin. Human or not, maybe you will be enough for him. I hope so. For both of you."…_

Rin woke to a feeling of being smothered, which was what caused her to pull herself out from under the pile of woolen blankets. She found that she was breathing quickly, as though she had just finished running a long distance. Her hair was clinging to her face and she irritably brushed it out of her eyes, noticing that she was sweating. A sudden desperate desire to cool off brought her unsteadily to her feet.

She pushed back the sliding screen that led to the outside and was immediately rewarded by a soothing wind. She inhaled a deep breath, relaxing, and then looked to her right to find Sesshoumaru seated on the raised deck, watching her curiously.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," she greeted him, trying to quell the surprise in her tone.

"You look like death," he commented wryly.

"I am certain of that," she agreed, moving to lower herself wearily beside him, dangling her legs over the side of the platform. Sleep aside, she still felt exhausted, like every spare bit of energy was being methodically drained from her.

"Perhaps you need to be taken to a human village?"

"No. I just need to avoid youkai food," she nearly moaned, head falling forward to rest in her hands.

"You were talking in your sleep," he said then, turning to look back into the darkness of their natural surroundings. Every now and then a firefly would pause to put off a greenish-yellow light that would illuminate part of the blackness, and Rin lifted her head to find this sight, mind working to piece together that drifting dream.

"Was I?" she asked quietly, praying that whatever she had said was nothing that would cause her embarrassment. "It was probably just a dream."

"What did she tell you?"

Rin froze then, wondering exactly what he had heard, remembering that she had promised to inform him if she heard from Midoriko again. But this dream had been far more private and she didn't feel especially willing to reveal it to him.

"I do not think it is something you would want to discuss," she said, hoping that cryptic warning would tell him that it involved a subject matter that he likely would not be comfortable with. She was wrong in thinking that he would drop it, though. He turned his head and fixed her with an unnerving golden stare.

"You might be surprised to find that I fully intend to discuss this. What did she say?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama---"

"Rin."

Rin discovered that she was far too tired to fight him over it, and so, annoyed at his persistence in a matter that she wanted to avoid, she quickly gave a synopsis of her dream. "She explained to me her feelings about you, she warned me of some things, and she told me why it is that she has not tried to speak with you." Her irritation melted away almost as soon as she blurted out the sentence, aware that if she were in his position, she would likely be curious as well.

"Then she _has_ been avoiding me?"

Rin exhaled a weary sigh. "She has created her own little world, Sesshoumaru-sama. I don't think she wants to complicate it." When a deep quiet fell between them at his lack of a response, Rin felt suddenly compelled to keep going. "She loves you, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"I know."

Surprised by this admission, Rin turned to face him fully, intrigued by the idea that he might actually be in a mood to discuss such a private matter with her. "You did not love her in return," she stated, watching his face.

"I could not. She understood that."

He could not. Then that verified one of her assumptions. As a youkai, he simply would not allow himself to develop such strong feelings for a human woman. Rin could understand that in doing so he would only open himself up to a loss that would be, to his sense of time, almost instantaneous. But the recollection of the night he had admitted to his dislike of humans made her wonder if it was less a resistance to potential loss, and more about his pride. _Does he feel it is beneath him to love a human? _she wondered.

"Is it possible for a demon to love a human?" she asked quietly, the words tumbling out of their own accord before she could remind herself to keep her mouth shut. The question seemed to catch him by surprise as well, for he turned to watch her with an odd, unreadable expression. Rin was suddenly very mindful of the feelings that had instigated her question.

"Yes. But it's unwise," he replied, his voice hypnotically low. "It often puts the youkai in a position in which he must choose a life separate from his species or else endanger the human and any children that come from such a union." Sesshoumaru paused, as he considered the relationship that had created Inuyasha. "Youkai reaction to the acquisition of a human mate is often swift and violent. It is a matter of preserving our species and bloodline from what is viewed as the infiltration of an inferior race."

"Is that what happened to your father? Obviously he took a human mate. Inuyasha is a hanyou," Rin reminded him, purposefully ignoring his use of the word "inferior".

"Yes, though the true threat did not manifest itself until Inuyasha's birth. Youkai are allowed to engage in relationships with humans, but the line is drawn at procreation. My father was naïve enough to believe that his status would be enough to protect Izayoi and Inuyasha. He discovered very quickly how wrong he had been. Half-demons are viewed as aberrations, mistakes to be extinguished. If not for my father's efforts, Inuyasha would not be alive today."

"He must have loved her very much," Rin murmured, trying to imagine how difficult it must have been to be constantly targeted as Inutaisho and his family had been. "I would guess that he did not regret being with her, even with the problems it created."

Sesshoumaru was staring at her intently once more, silent for a long, weighted moment before he finally replied, "No, he did not regret her … or the hanyou." Slow understanding of what might be bringing about these questions, made him ask about the one aspect of the dream she had not yet discussed. "You said that Midoriko warned you about something?"

Rin blinked. Had she said that? In a manner of speaking, she had been "warned", even if it had not been meant as such. Midoriko had provided Rin with a glimpse into the possible hurt in her own future, something that was bound to catch up with her if she did not find a way to disentangle herself from her changing feelings for Sesshoumaru. But, somehow, now that the dream was over and she was sitting only inches away from him, listening as he revealed bits and pieces of himself, Rin found that she was not nearly so worried. What would happen would happen. She was just glad to be with him.

"I understand her feelings very well, Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin replied evasively. "She knows that."

Silently mulling her words, Sesshoumaru found himself struck by what he realized she was admitting to him. _Their feelings are similar … _His own thoughts settled on that, unmoving, attention shifting only because of sudden movement as she got back to her feet. Uncertain of what to say, his eyes traveled with her as she rose.

"I am going back to bed. Good night, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said, her steps toward the screen door halted by his voice.

"Rin."

"Yes?" she asked, looking back at him, somehow feeling that he looked like he did not even belong in her world, like he was suddenly more spirit than form.

"Cease the formalities."

"Formalities?" she asked with a frown.

"Sesshoumaru-_sama. _It is no longer necessary. Sesshoumaru will do."

She felt a slow smile cross her face, her heart warming at his attempt to make her more comfortable. "Jaken-sama will be scandalized," she teased.

"All the more reason."

* * *

Within Kaede's village, inside Inuyasha's small wood-planked house, Kagome shifted restlessly in sleep. While her brain was desperately trying to cling to peaceful slumber, something else seemed even more intent on waking her or …. was she awake? she wondered disjointedly behind closed eyelids.

Disoriented, she sat up, rubbing at her forehead as though to clear away the grogginess of sleep. One quick look around showed her that Inuyasha was nowhere to be found. _How strange_, she thought. Would he just leave and not tell her?

Yes, she came to the conclusion, shaking her head. Of course he would. Though if it had been something serious that had drawn him away, she knew he would have woken her. Likely he was just down the road keeping Kaede company; the old priestess was steadily advancing in age and had a lot more trouble resting than she used to. As much as Inuyasha antagonized Kaede, Kagome knew he was disturbed by how her health seemed to be going downhill.

Pulling the tangled blanket from around her, Kagome rose to her feet and, almost as suddenly, was dragged back down to her knees by a crushing weight. She knelt there on the floor, all trace of sleepiness fleeing as this unseen _something_ refused to allow her to stand again. Something was digging painfully into her chest and, with great effort, she looked down to see that the Shikon no Tama was black as night except for a wispy red fog that seemed to circulate from within the jewel's boundaries.

She picked up her heavy hand and clasped her fingers around the jewel, prying it away from her skin in order to look at it. She peered closer, her heart triple-beating as the vague form of a man's face took shape, thin and hollowed-looking, eyes so dark it looked as though there was nothing staring back at her from the sockets.

"Kagome," a whispering voice issued from the face's lips. "I need your help."

"Help?" she repeated breathlessly, certain that whatever a person as creepy as this was about to request would not be something of benefit to anyone.

"Yes," came the whisper again, and suddenly everything around Kagome darkened to the point where she could see nothing of the small house around her; her entire realm of existence was darkness and the malevolent light of the jewel in her hand. "You see, I have a mission that must be fulfilled and you would be of great assistance."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Ashrem. I am an old friend of the young woman who created the jewel that is held within your hand."

"Midoriko," Kagome whispered, her brain recalling images of a damp, gloomy cave and a woman perpetually frozen as a statue.

"Yes," Ashrem agreed. "The Shikon no Tama was formed from her heart, which, at the time of her death, was filled with much anger and betrayal. She died because someone she called friend sent the horde of demons that caused her to destroy herself."

As Kagome listened, she remembered the strange feelings she had encountered in Midoriko's cave. It had been a mostly benign experience, but she could not deny that some of the emotions she had sensed had been very much like what Ashrem was describing to her. Midoriko's spirit had been very present in that cave, making herself quite known when Inuyasha's brash statements about the Shikon no Tama had gotten him flung from the cave entirely.

"What is it that you want?" Kagome asked.

"I want to kill the one who caused her death," the disembodied voice echoed in her brain. "I want to kill Sesshoumaru."

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome repeated loudly, remembering the last time she had seen the youkai lord, when he had called a last instruction to her to ensure that the jewel was not shattered again. _He_ had had something to do with this …?

"Not that Sesshoumaru," the voice corrected, as though viewing what she was seeing in her mind, thoughts that were of a more benevolent nature. "_This_ one …."

Instantly Kagome's mind was provided with an endless display of moving images and memories … _Sesshoumaru standing imperiously on the shoulder of a colossal monster, mocking Inuyasha as a half-breed … attempting to kill her with his poison attack inside his father's remains, repelled only by the Tessaiga … shoving a clawed hand through Inuyasha's back, more than willing to kill him to get the sword he so desired … and then, a memory that was not hers … Sesshoumaru as a white dog rearing up before the eyes of a young woman with long black hair …._

Kagome blinked as the images suddenly stopped and the voice returned. "Do you see? It would benefit all if he were to die. He is a cruel, vicious creature. You yourself have witnessed this. All I ask is that you allow me the unhindered use of the Shikon no Tama for the purpose of killing him."

Feeling as though her muscles were very stiff and clamped, Kagome struggled to move and found herself unable, as though chained to the floor. "Let me go," she finally requested quietly.

"I need an answer, Kagome …"

"Your answer is _no_," she replied firmly. "He is not the same as he was. He's done some terrible things in the past, but that's no reason to murder him now."

"You are a fool," the voice whispered, hissing with anger. "But it does not matter. I have other means to ensure his demise. Guard the jewel well, Kagome."

As she stared down at the jewel, the face faded and the glittering purple color returned. She then discovered that her arms were being gripped by hands swathed in long red sleeves and looked up into Inuyasha's face, which was intense as it demanded, "Murder _who_? What the hell are you talking about! And better yet, _why_ the hell are you talking about my brother in your sleep?"

"Sesshoumaru …" Kagome murmured, disoriented to find that Inuyasha had been crouching right in front of her and she had not even seen him…

"Yeah, him … you know, bad mood, big ego, fluffy thing," Inuyasha reminded her darkly, letting go of her and sitting back on his feet. "What's with you tonight? You're acting crazy. You were sleeping and then suddenly you were talking like you were having a conversation with someone."

"I was …," Kagome said quietly, looking once more at the pure, sparkling jewel. Had it been a dream? She glanced down and pulled back the neck of her pajama shirt, finding a purple, jewel-sized mark pressed neatly into the skin, and it was this physical evidence that made her certain she had actually seen and heard those things in reality. "We need to find Sesshoumaru. Someone is going to try to kill him."

"And that's a problem …?"

Kagome's tense face turned toward him, willing him to see past his personal dislike. "Inuyasha, this guy means business. He was speaking to me through the jewel; it seems as though he has some sort of sway over it. Maybe he's the reason it's been acting strangely. If he's able to manipulate the Shikon no Tama from a distance, he just might have enough power to harm him …"

"Heh! Let me know when, I'd like to watch."

"Inuyasha, he's your brother!"

"It's not my fault Father had the misfortune of finding his mother first. And if you'll kindly remember, he's tried to kill me on a number of occasions."

"I think if he had really meant to, he would have succeeded."

"He's tried to kill _you_ on a number of occasions."

"That was a long time ago."

Inuyasha shook his head, staring at Kagome as though her brain had just begun to spill out of her ears. "You're a real piece of work, you know that? Let me get this straight … you're gonna go off and try to rescue Sesshoumaru because of some dream? You're nuts, Kagome. Half of Japan couldn't kill that bastard. Believe me, we've tried."

"It wasn't just a dream!" Kagome defended her concern. "And I'm not going to _rescue_ him; I'm going to warn him. Now turn around, I'm getting dressed."

"You're going _now_?" Inuyasha questioned in surprise, as though having expected his own argument to win out, to make her realize how ridiculous she sounded.

"Yes, now!" Kagome said exasperatedly, pulling her skirt out of her backpack. When she turned to look over her shoulder, Inuyasha was still seated, defiantly staring at her, ears twitching in irritation.

"Turn around," she ordered again, an obvious tone of warning in her voice.

"You're not going anywhere."

"Osuwari."

With Inuyasha's face smashed firmly into the wooden floorboards, Kagome hurriedly dressed, silently repeating everything she had been told, hoping to keep it fresh in her memory. Would Sesshoumaru heed a warning from a human? She doubted it, particularly one that was accompanied by the brother he so disdained. But she had to try.

* * *

Bent fingers clasped firmly around her new bow, Rin tried to aim at her target, doing her best to ignore the crowing coming from Jaken, a constant stream of jeering that had been instigated by her first failed shot. The toad was standing not far behind them, nearly up to his waist in grass as he hooted at her. It was Sesshoumaru who tired of him first. With two quick strides, the dog youkai picked Jaken up by the collar and tossed him effortlessly away. Rin concealed an evilly amused smile as her ears picked up the crash that was Jaken's squat little body falling into a mass of shrubbery and overgrowth.

"Loosen your hold," Sesshoumaru advised quietly, watching the tendons flexing underneath the skin of her hands. She was nervous; he could hear it in how fast her pulse was thumping. He had thought it was because of the idiot Jaken's cat-calling, but it seemed it was from another source. After their discussion of the other night, he had a good idea of what that _source_ was.

He shifted his stance, watching her profile with interest as she let another arrow loose. This one flew just to the right of her targeted tree trunk. Her expression did not falter, however, as she reached for another arrow and pulled it back to aim once more.

_It's happening again_, he thought. Her feelings toward him, how she saw him, were changing and drastically so. Another human girl had unwisely become enamored with him. Humans were not so skilled in masking their emotions, their expressions, their intentions as were youkai, which made it so easy to determine things about them that likely they would have rather kept hidden.

What made it more difficult this time around was that it was _Rin_. His relationship with Midoriko had been friendship. Yes, he had grown very fond of the girl, but his connection to her had been different. He himself had been little more than an adolescent in those days and it had fascinated him, the fact that a human girl would develop such strong feelings for him, display such loyalty and gratitude. It had been his youth that had responded to the feelings Midoriko had formed for him.

His feelings toward Rin were far more complex, especially now that she was an adult. No longer was he young and impetuous; he could recognize what was forming within his own heart. It was not being brought about by some reaction to Rin's obvious feelings toward him, but by his own response to her. He would not call it love…he intensely disliked the word. Love itself did not exist as a whole concept, but was made up of a menagerie of other feelings, responses, memories, and things of that nature. Love was misleading; loyalty, affection, desire, friendship, protection, companionship, these things that humans liked to coalesce into one feeling and term as love were strong emotions and very separate in his mind.

And this young woman he was watching, human though she might be, brought out every one of those feelings in a very disconcerting, very uncomfortable, very real way. The kindest thing he could do for her would be to end this now, send her back to Kameko, and steer clear of her for the remainder of her life, so that her focus could turn from him to a human man; one who could provide for her the life and family she was most suited to and, likely, wanted very badly. But Sesshoumaru was more selfish than kind; he enjoyed having her near him, a rarity for him to find with another individual, and he was not especially willing to send that connection away. She was pleasant, intelligent, loyal, patient, beautiful….but she was not a youkai, which halted this line of future thought with the solidness of a stone wall.

Despite his own rapidly forming feelings for her, if things progressed as they were, he knew they were not far off from a discussion that neither of them was going to like. He would owe it to her to let her know where she stood, what he could and could not allow. At that point, the decision would be hers.

His head lifted slightly as the wind carried a very familiar scent toward him; one he was always quickest to recognize because it was all too similar to his own. He watched with expressionless amusement as Rin fired off her next arrow…just as a white-haired, dog-eared head emerged from the forest.

"What the_ fu_---!" Inuyasha bellowed in alarm as the arrow whizzed directly past his right cheek, splitting skin and embedding itself in a thick tree trunk just behind his awkwardly halted form.

Rin instantly dropped the bow, horrified. "Sorry, Inuyasha!" she called with honest regret, cutting off the hanyou's rude expletive as Kagome hurried out of the forest behind him.

"Your aim is improving," Sesshoumaru slyly informed Rin, as he stepped past her to walk toward Inuyasha, who was still grumbling his complaints. "What do you want, hanyou?"

"Heh! Nice greeting for someone that came to warn your worthless ass."

"Warn me?" Sesshoumaru questioned, his gaze flickering to Kagome who hesitantly walked to meet him, appearing uncertain.

"He's right, Sesshoumaru," Kagome said with great seriousness. "We came to warn you, and I hope that you'll listen."

* * *

Meandering his way through the town's center, Ashrem played the part of passing traveler with relative ease. It was odd how he still felt like a stranger, even though he had grown up in the same general area and knew it well. Still, three hundred years had brought about vast changes, one of which had been this human town, which had not even existed in his era. Interacting with people had been helpful to him; through his various discussions he had picked up on new words and phrases, had noticed that his accent stood out slightly from those of others. Even his clothing had needed replacing, having appeared outdated compared to the differences of the current day. It was a strange adjustment.

He had been pleased to see that his short quest for knowledge was gaining him information and insight. It had been an excellent idea to come to Rin's village. Where else was he to discover anything about the girl? The townspeople were a friendly group and it was a simple matter to charm them into information about her, labeling himself as an old friend. The children in particular were the most valuable holders of personal information about Rin, for she had obviously entertained many of them with her exploits as a young girl in the company of her "Sesshoumaru-sama".

Everything he had heard about her told him that she would indeed be suitable to help him. She was soft-hearted, something that would lend itself to manipulation. People who felt things keenly let their defenses down more readily, were inherently less suspicious. There was the matter of her single-minded devotion to the dog demon, but that could be overcome. He had heard of several things that would allow him to wedge a gap between them.

Now that he was settled on a course of action, he had only to wait for the jewel's arrival. Because the miko, Kagome, had proven that her influence over the jewel was a strong rival to his own, he had been forced to alter his plan of action. He had not intended to reveal himself so soon, but all was still going well. Approaching Kagome directly with an opportunity to kill Sesshoumaru was an idea that would have won results for him no matter how she had responded. If she had agreed, it would have made things even simpler, but he had guessed correctly about her answer. From his brief insights into the woman, he knew that her heart was quite similar to Rin's, though a little more guarded. She had great empathy for those around her, even, at times, her enemies; of course she would take the jewel and run to Sesshoumaru in order to warn him. It was in her nature, and in the process of trying to help him, she would unknowingly be aiding Ashrem's own cause.

The jewel and the sword would be in close proximity once more, within easy reach of his true target: Rin. Now he had only to wait for an opportunity to arise in which he would be able to forge a connection with her. He was greatly looking forward to it, actually, and hoped that his involvement with Rin did not bring lasting harm to the girl. He was growing quite fond of her after all the stories he had heard from her fellow townspeople. She was a good person; it was just unfortunate that she had become involved in a friendship with his most despised enemy. He could not blame her, however; it sounded as though her relationship with Sesshoumaru had been formed out of great need on her part.

"Excuse me?" a soft-spoken voice called from behind him and he turned to find a young woman watching him with a mildly curious expression. Judging from her oddly blue-tinged hair and sharply-pointed ears, he assumed her to be a youkai, or at the very least, a hanyou.

"Yes?" he asked, turning on his most charming smile.

"I was told that you've been asking about Rin. Are you a friend of hers?"

"Yes, I am. May I ask who---?" he questioned politely.

"My name is Kameko. I was her guardian for several years. Is there a reason why you did not come to see me with your questions?" she asked, and Ashrem could see the beginnings of suspicion in her eyes.

"Forgive me, Kameko-sama. You see, I have not seen Rin in many years, not since she was a little girl in Lord Sesshoumaru's care. I was unaware of her guardian's name, only that she was said to reside here."

"Oh? Then are you … Kohaku?" she guessed. The man was young, but he seemed to be of an older age than the Kohaku Rin had described. Still, these were hard times they lived in; perhaps the man's life had not gone so well…

"Yes," Ashrem said instantly, gratefully seizing on the name.

"I see," Kameko said, her expression relaxing into a smile. "It is a shame. Rin would have been very pleased to see you, but she is with Sesshoumaru at the moment. I am not certain when she will return, but I expect she will soon."

Ashrem nodded, quite pleased to hear this, but anxious to escape this youkai woman before she was able to question him enough to realize that he was lying. "I've heard that from the other villagers. Then I will try again at a later date?"

"Of course, and I will tell her you came to see her."

"Thank you, Kameko-sama," Ashrem said with a slight bow, before turning and walking back toward the edge of the village.

He would wait and watch … and in the meantime, he would seek out new allies among the disgruntled demon population. After all, he would soon have within his hands an object that they, too, would be interested in obtaining. It seemed, for the moment, everything would depend on Rin.

* * *

**To the Reviewers:**

_**New Fan: **Darlin', if you like long chapters then this one must have thrilled you to death. LOL! 27 pages in Microsoft Word. No joke. And, yeah, Elif is annoyingly interested in Sesshoumaru. ;) He's hot … he's powerful … and he's just what would piss Dad off! What girl wouldn't go for that? ;) Actually, I'm thinking her Dad would be okay with her getting with Sesshoumaru. He'd be a nice acquisition to the family…hmmmm….yep, I've been plotting the next story. ;) But, no, he's not gonna marry that bitch, I swear. Not even close, so don't worry. He's allllll about Rin. Actually, there's no way I'll be able to finish this in another couple of chapters. It's probably got another 6 or so to go. Maybe more … maybe less …. that's approximate. And I wish I could think of a specific site about where I've read all the 3rd movie rumors, but it's basically just been me picking up on things from a bunch of different sites. The one thing the rumors have all had in common is that Inuyasha's mom is named Izayoi._

_**Jabba1: **You poor thing! You read it all in one sitting! Wow, that's serious dedication. ;) Thanks for the compliment. As far as ideas … most of the time they just come out while I'm typing. I've got an outline for this thing, but it's pretty vague. Usually stuff just happens. shrug That's probably why I feel like the plot's kind of going to hell in a backpack, but this is my first fanfiction, so I've got a built-in excuse! ;)_

_**Sesshoumaru'sFirefly: **Love the name! ;) Wow, it's reviews like that that make me feel terribly guilty for taking 3 weeks to update. What a sweet thing to say! I'm glad their personalities are coming across pretty well … I'm trying really hard to do that. I'll write some dialogue and then think…does that sound like something they would actually say? I can never hope to keep them all completely in character because they're not my characters (they're entirely Takahashi-sensei's!), but I'm doing my best!_

_**Silver Spell: **It's not going to end too soon … it'll probably wind up being twenty (or slightly more) chapters. That's pretty huge, I think. But I will sort of be doing a sequel…it'll involve some things that have already been talked about. I'm thinking that once his involvement with Rin gets out there, some of his enemies are going to try to capitalize on that. Essentially, he's going to wind up rejecting a demon mate … that's not going to sit well. I haven't completed the outline for it yet, but Sesshoumaru's gonna have to kick some northern ass … and he'll figure out who his real buddies are. ;) I'll still be using your idea and putting an epilogue at the end of this thing … it'll take place like 10 years later, so, yeah, you did help. I'm scared that 130,000 words may be a low estimate, especially now that I've just finished this huge chapter. And about the human mates in the family, it's always fun to think of new ways to antagonize him. ;)_

_**Ourania: **Wow, thanks for that! The whole Sesshoumaru/Midoriko thing was more on her end…which was hinted at in this chapter. I left it kind of open-ended as far as his feelings, so that people could judge on their own. Midoriko was meant as a sort of "stepping stone" … I thought it would be easier to get him involved with Rin if he came pretty close to becoming involved with a human in the past. Basically, I'm just wearing poor Sesshoumaru down. LOL! Those human girls have a way of getting at him. ;)_

_**Blaise: **Don't apologize. Reviews aren't required, just appreciated. :D I haven't read a whole lot of the manga, so my ideas are based entirely on the anime. Again, all I can say is that he seemed to know exactly what he was doing when he used it on Jaken (which was the episode right before Rin showed up). Also, have you seen the episodes where he and Inuyasha are fighting the cat demons? There's like a 3-episode arc … (One of them is called "The Targets are Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha". They're Episodes 75-77) … and in those episodes, Sesshoumaru is shown in several flashbacks from 50 years earlier (while Inuyasha was sealed) where he complains about Tenseiga being useless, so he knew at least 50 years beforehand. Also, beyond the evidence from the series, I find it hard to believe that Sesshoumaru would have inherited Tenseiga from his father and never once attempted to use it. Even using it once would have shown him what it did and did not do. Is there a specific reason why it's bothering you so much …? I know Tenseiga appears much earlier in my story than is mentioned in the series, but that's just out of my own head. It was probably created at the same time as the Tessaiga, but since that was never explicitly stated, I added it early on in this story. And, wow …. you've printed it? I'm honored … however, I'll warn you … there's going to be some rewrites at the end. I know this thing is really, really long …. it's going to take a lot more printer paper, I'm afraid. ;)_

_**Wingless Angel:** Sorry to disappoint! As I just told Blaise, I'll be rewriting parts of this thing once I'm finished. If you really hate something, let me know what it is, and I'll see about changing it. Your idea could very well be better than mine. My own issue with the last chapter is some of the dialogue … it's kind of stilted or something. I don't know. I'll fix it later. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so if I stop to correct everything now, I'll never get finished! As far as jealous Rin, she was thinking some pretty bad thoughts about Elif. ;) Unfortunately, there was no opportunity to smack up Jaken in this one … though he did get tossed away. Close enough. ;)_

_**Holly Night:** I know, I know! My only excuse is that I've been studying my eyeballs off for Finals. I fully intend on updating more frequently while I'm on winter break. And, thanks! It'd be fun to be a real writer … unfortunately I don't have nearly the talent, the organizational skills, or the attention span to ever try to do it. Hence…fanfic! ;) _


	15. Alpha Male

**Chapter Fifteen - Alpha Male**

Kagome would certainly have included the word _scary_ in any description of Sesshoumaru, both for the cold, emotionless way in which he conducted himself and for his apparent lack of compassion for any living thing. Now as she watched his bland expression slowly morph while he listened to her explanation of Ashrem's message to her, she found that the word "scary" was indeed very apt. Apparently Inuyasha was getting the same vibe from him, because suddenly he was standing so close to Kagome that their arms were touching.

"He's obviously serious," Kagome finished awkwardly, not liking at all the look that was on the youkai lord's face. "But … you look like you already know that."

He did not reply, instead his eyes bored into Kagome's with unnerving intensity, as though searching for something._ Deceit? _she wondered. _Does he think I'm lying to him? _She had to fight the urge to look away.

"So did you kill her, Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha asked bluntly. Somehow it would not surprise him at all to discover that his older brother had been the root cause behind the Shikon no Tama. The jewel had perpetuated vast amounts of destruction, and Inuyasha suspected that the sun never set on Sesshoumaru's day until he had managed to kill, maim, or bring misery to others in some form or fashion.

"I was there when she died …," Sesshoumaru began slowly.

"Shocking," Inuyasha muttered sarcastically.

Sesshoumaru turned a glare on him. "Speak of things you actually know something about, Inuyasha. In other words, be _silent_." He turned back to Kagome. "I did not cause her death. That was brought about by the one who spoke to you."

"Ashrem?"

"Yes," Sesshoumaru answered, looking visibly angry. _Ashrem will not even lay claim to his own actions_, he thought. Instead it seemed Ashrem wished to foster even more distrust between his enemy and the brother that hated him, as well as this miko, Kagome, who appeared to have unexpectedly gained Ashrem's interest. As these thoughts filtered through his mind, Sesshoumaru's gaze fell to the sparkling jewel that hung around her neck, watching it as though expecting it to suddenly spring to life and start talking simply from the force of his will alone. Finally, he looked back up at Kagome's face. "Is he inside the jewel?" he asked in a quietly ominous voice.

"I … don't know. He appeared to me from within it, but …," she trailed off then as she recalled the first strange instance in which the jewel had reacted to Ashrem's urging. She had seen a hand pointing up toward a swarm of flying youkai, likely the same horde that had later attacked them at Kaede's village. "No," Kagome said, suddenly sure. "He's not inside the jewel. He tried to destroy a group of Naraku's demons, although at the time I didn't realize that was what I was seeing."

"She released him, too, then," Rin murmured, frowning as though trying to remember something. "I … thought it was only Naraku's demons, but …" The soft echo of Midoriko's voice whispered in her ears, and she remembered the deceased demon exterminator's concern over Ashrem. "He must have been let go as well."

"Remain here," Sesshoumaru ordered suddenly, a grim set to his voice. "I will return soon."

He turned to leave them, but his forward motion was stopped by Inuyasha's quickly stated defiance. "Let's go, Kagome. He's been warned. It's his problem now."

Rin watched Sesshoumaru as he turned back around to eye Inuyasha, likely annoyed at the hanyou's audacious dismissal of his command. "_You_ are free to leave. I would encourage it, in fact," he told Inuyasha coolly, and then pointed toward Kagome. "She is to stay here."

"Excuse me?" Inuyasha questioned with a scowl. "We've warned you. That's all we came to do. Don't try to involve Kagome in this."

"You _stupid_, insolent child. It is not I who involved her in this." Sesshoumaru looked to Rin then, who was standing off to the side, watching them pensively. "Rin, take her to the house and wait there until I return."

"Are you deaf?" Inuyasha asked incredulously, obviously gearing up for a fight, his hand automatically reaching for Tessaiga's hilt. "I said that we were leaving."

With an air of exasperation, Sesshoumaru disdainfully replied, "I do not have the time to stand here and explain every detail to someone so mentally deficient. Wait here and I will explain more fully when I return. If you leave, your miko might very well become the newest source of a Shikon no Tama. Then it is she who will have paid for your rash actions."

"I don't trust you," Inuyasha growled, but he seemed hesitant now, clearly bothered by Sesshoumaru's dark warning.

"Nor should you. However, this is a special circumstance." He moved closer to Inuyasha and lowered his voice so that his words would not reach the ears of the two girls that were watching them. "I believe she is my assassin. Exhibit some patience for once in your life, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha blinked at these surprising words, the hostility melting from his expression as he looked over at Kagome for a moment. He then searched Sesshoumaru's face for signs of deception, but the mask of cool detachment was firmly back in place. "We'll wait," he finally agreed, watching as Sesshoumaru accepted that and instantly shot off in a blur.

* * *

An almost overwhelming reek of incense was pouring from the insides of the rotting temple when Sesshoumaru arrived. Except for this odor, there was no sign of life at the place that had served as Ashrem's home. The building appeared to be falling in on itself, the clearing around it having become so infested with weeds, vines, and other vegetation that it resembled nothing of the well-maintained grounds it had once been. Appropriately enough, there was very little evidence remaining that would identify this as a holy place.

He knew Ashrem was not there, but was certain he had been recently. Incense did not burn itself, and it would be a perfect cover for the man's scent, disguising the direction in which he had gone. Sesshoumaru, tense with frustration, walked up the disintegrating steps and entered the cavernous, rot-ridden temple. Most of the rooms he passed were dark and empty. The place radiated the feeling of a tomb, and Sesshoumaru was only sorry that it had not managed to contain the individual he would now have to track down and destroy.

The steady dripping of water could be heard as droplets gathered at the ends of tree branches that had intruded into the building, creating sprawling puddles on the decaying wood floors. Sesshoumaru stepped over these and continued into the heart of the temple. He found his way to a room that housed a large, tarnished bronze statue of one of the human species' many gods. At the statue's feet sat the burning pot of incense.

As his eyes flickered across the dimness of the room, they fell on a scrawled line of characters that had been carved into the wooden wall beside the statue; characters that were clearly written by a hand that had learned them in a time long past. It seemed the incense had not been a mask, but a trail.

_She will help me this time, Sesshoumaru-sama._

A sudden surge of anger displayed itself in Sesshoumaru's fist exploding outward to smash the bronzed god, its face and torso broken into angular pieces that clattered raucously to the floor. A poisonous fury coursed through his veins, thumping inside his skull. He could not remember the last time he had so wanted to strangle the life from someone. _This_ time he would make absolutely certain that the wretched creature remained among the dead.

Turning and striding toward the temple's exit, his mind worked furiously over the message that had been left for him. After the warning Inuyasha and Kagome had brought to him, his immediate conclusion had been that it was Kagome who had been chosen to act as Ashrem's human shield. Now, though, as he carefully considered the similarities between past and present, he wondered at Ashrem's true intentions.

When he had originally seized control of Midoriko, Ashrem had prevented her from revealing his plans to Sesshoumaru. His hold on her had been so secure that he had been able to subjugate her will to his own. If Kagome was similarly under the man's spell, then why would he allow her to warn him so freely? Something seemed wrong with this, and yet Sesshoumaru wondered if the warning had been Kagome's act alone. Perhaps she had the spiritual and mental fortitude to shake off Ashrem's influence, an ability she could have gained from shrine training that Midoriko had never received.

The use of Kagome would alter drastically from Midoriko; it would mean that this time Ashrem had chosen someone who meant nothing to Sesshoumaru. Kagome did not have the trust or affection that Sesshoumaru had allowed Midoriko. It would have been far more like Ashrem to attempt to gain access to Rin, but she was not a viable option for the job, as she did not have the abilities that Midoriko and Kagome possessed. Either Kagome had been an error caused by lack of information or she had been all that was available to him.

As he wandered the grounds, his thoughts drifted again to the cryptic message on the temple's wall, clearly carved by Ashrem's own hand, and obviously referring to both the past and the present. Was he referring to Midoriko alone? Was it only the jewel he was after? Perhaps he had come to the conclusion that the Shikon no Tama, the bearer of Midoriko's powers, would be enough to kill a taiyoukai. It could be that this time Ashrem intended not to repeat the mistake of relying on the innate frailties of humans.

It was now clear that Ashrem was among the living once more and preparing to take action against him, and just as evident that he had some sort of connection with Kagome if he was able to communicate with her so directly. That in and of itself meant that Sesshoumaru would have to keep an eye on her. She would serve as his map to Ashrem. Although her existence was meaningless save for Midoriko's apparent wish for her to guard the Shikon no Tama, Sesshoumaru was going to ensure that the girl was alive at the end of this, if for no other reason than to spite Ashrem.

It was _not _going to happen again.

* * *

Though Inuyasha had grudgingly agreed to remain at his brother's house, his impatience for answers and his worry over Sesshoumaru's disconcerting warning about Kagome quickly manifested itself into curiosity. Rin and Kagome watched, following behind him as he wandered about the house, peering into long-unused rooms, picking up different objects, pulling weapons off of walls. This behavior had practically given Jaken a stroke as he had trailed after Inuyasha, alternately spitting out scathing insults and bemoaning the fact that his dear master's father had actually helped create such a disrespectful creature. The little toad had finally stalked off after berating Rin for letting the much-despised hanyou get away with such audacity.

"Inuyasha," Rin finally spoke up, "Jaken-sama is correct. Sesshoumaru will be---"

"You know, I'm still trying to figure out _why_ you're here," Inuyasha said bluntly, pausing his inspection of another mostly-empty room to glance back at her with a very Sesshoumaru-like expression. He then closed the door and continued to stalk down the hallway.

"I'm here because I want to be," Rin replied simply, glancing at Kagome who was also frowning at Inuyasha's strange behavior.

"Yeah, is that code for "Save me, Inuyasha, he keeps me chained in the dungeon?" Inuyasha asked dryly, slamming another door.

"No," Rin answered patiently. "He's my friend."

At this, Inuyasha stopped and turned around to face her, his expression that of disbelief. "You've gotta be kidding me. He's a fluffy lump of evil. He doesn't have _friends_."

"That's not true---"

"I've known him a hell of a lot longer than you. He's a bad man, Rin. Be smart and find yourself a nice human village to settle into," Inuyasha advised, turning to shut yet another door.

"Inuyasha, what are you looking for?" Kagome finally asked, watching in bewilderment as he prepared to open the door of the last room in the hallway.

"This place smells like my father," he muttered half-heartedly in response. It was unnerving and, at the same time, provoked an insatiable curiosity. He barely remembered Inutaisho, and this place, with all the things that had belonged to him, reeked of the deceased demon lord.

"Don't go in that room, it's---" Rin began, but Inuyasha ignored her and shoved open the door.

"---Sesshoumaru's," Rin sighed as Inuyasha barged in.

The room was immaculate as always, everything perfectly arranged and in place. Inuyasha looked around with vague interest as Kagome overcame her own reticence and walked toward the display of swords that were attached to the wall. "That sword … that's the one that Inuyasha brought to my era," she said almost to herself, reaching a hand out to touch it. Inuyasha's ears twitched as he picked up the subtle signs of movement, but by the time he turned around, Sesshoumaru was already behind Kagome, his hand clamped around her wrist.

"Have you no respect for other people's property?" he hissed at her before releasing her arm. "It seems I cannot leave you alone for even a moment. It's a wonder she has managed to live so long under your protection, Inuyasha."

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha asked, folding his arms defensively over his chest as he graced his brother with a contemptuous look. "It's just a sword. Damn, but you're getting paranoid in your old age."

"On its own, it is just a sword. Wielded by the right hand, it is deadly to youkai."

"And what makes you think that Kagome's hand is the right one?"

Sesshoumaru watched Kagome carefully as he answered, "Because her abilities are very similar to the one for whom it was created."

* * *

As another thunderstorm rolled into the valley, Ashrem watched it come with growing trepidation. It was just such a moment as this that made him regret having had to vacate his home. Though it had degenerated into little more than a barely-erect pile of lumber over the three hundred years he had spent within the Shikon no Tama, it still provided some shelter and it was comfortingly familiar. Now that Sesshoumaru was well-informed of Ashrem's resurrection, it would be an act of utter stupidity to return to his old guardian's temple. No doubt the dog demon had someone carefully monitoring the derelict building by now. No, he would just have to deal with getting wet.

Tracking down the alliance he quite clearly needed had not been an easy task. It had taken some careful questioning to discover who of his old demon allies were still alive, who of them despised Sesshoumaru, and who would be willing to join him for a share of the Shikon no Tama. Not that Ashrem intended to hand any part of the jewel over to a youkai, but he had little else with which to secure their allegiance. And it _did_ make for a very attractive offer.

_Shinosuke, you bastard … I bet you're around here somewhere, watching and laughing at me sitting out here in the rain…_

And no sooner had the complaint completed itself when the demon in question appeared with startling suddenness. One moment Ashrem was seated alone on the side of a grassy hill and then, within the space of a thought, a pair of leather-clad feet were standing beside him. Blinking against the rain, Ashrem peered up at the tall, muscular form of the snow demon, his frost-white hair and skin looking distinctly out-of-place in their summery surroundings.

"I don't believe it," Shinosuke said, dropping down fluidly beside Ashrem. "I got your message. It seems neither the demon exterminator nor Inutaisho were able to do you in properly, Ashrem. Your luck astounds me."

"I have to agree with you, Shinosuke-sama. The girl sealed me before the dog lord could finish me off. It was a close call."

"And now you're free again …"

"Now I'm free again," Ashrem repeated in agreement, his expression turning to a glare as the rain that was falling down on them effectively doubled into a sheet of pouring water. He shared a glance of irritation with the snow youkai, who looked a bit wilted and uncomfortable in this humid precipitation.

"This will never do," Shinosuke finally said, and Ashrem watched as, with a motion of his pale hands, he transformed the rain around them into a flurry of snowflakes. The instantaneous drop in temperature startled Ashrem, who found now that the ground underneath him was frozen along with the droplets of water that had rained down on his clothes and skin.

"Yes, that's far more comfortable," Ashrem said sarcastically, brushing the thin layer of ice off of his arms and robes.

"Agreed," Shinosuke replied, apparently oblivious to Ashrem's lack of sincerity. "And now, I believe you had a proposition to discuss with me?"

Ashrem nodded, folding his arms to his chest for warmth. "I've heard that you're still rather … at odds with Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"That arrogant son of a bitch? I'd gladly slit his throat if that damned sword of his wasn't so attached to him," Shinosuke muttered.

"Sword?" Ashrem questioned with a frown.

"Yes, Tenseiga. It protects his life."

Ashrem listened to this, remembering the sneering look on Inutaisho's face as the youkai lord had informed Ashrem with unflappable certainty that his son would not be killed in the battle that had turned out to be Midoriko's last. Had he been wearing Tenseiga then …? Ashrem wondered. Was that why he had not become a part of Midoriko's sealed youkai menagerie?

"How would one go about ending his life, Shinosuke?" Ashrem asked carefully.

"Remove that sword from him and you can kill him. But I'll warn you, at the very least you're going to lose an appendage for trying that."

"Remove the sword …," Ashrem repeated thoughtfully, his mind already whirling with the beginnings of a plan as snow continued to swirl down on him, coating his dark hair with a layer of white. "And if I asked for your help?"

Shinosuke shrugged. "The answer to that would depend on what I would gain in relation to how much risk is involved."

"Your gain would be a share of the Shikon no Tama. I will take care of attaining that. All I need is a small group of youkai at my command."

"A group of youkai to serve a human?" Shinosuke repeated incredulously. "You don't ask for much, do you?"

"Will you do it?" Ashrem asked, fixing the pale-eyed demon with a look of great seriousness. _Just believe me and do it …._

"You'll have your youkai, Ashrem," Shinosuke agreed. "But don't double-cross me. I think you know what the result of that will be."

"Shinosuke, if there's one human a demon can trust, it's me," Ashrem assured him with a wide, disarming smile.

* * *

Seated beside Kagome in one of the main rooms, Rin listened to the wailing wind outside as the storm pounded on the roof above them. Firelight had cast the entire room in a dull orange glow, posting their shadows on the far wall; the most obvious shadow being that of a head with dog ears that twitched every now and then, making evident his bad mood. Rin glanced over at Inuyasha, who had refused to sit while his brother still stood and so had settled for standing with his arms crossed, watching Sesshoumaru with blatant distrust.

Rin then looked back at the silent Sesshoumaru. He stood in profile, watching the roaring fire, the light burnishing his white hair to a warm gold color, disguising some of the hardness in his face. Rin found she was content with just watching him, but his brother clearly found him to be far less fascinating than did she.

"Could you speed up the explanation for those of us with a shorter lifespan?" Inuyasha finally demanded.

Sesshoumaru turned then, his eyes locking onto Inuyasha. "You serve no purpose here."

"I stay with Kagome."

"To her detriment, no doubt."

"Okay, that's not what this is about," Kagome broke in before Inuyasha could come up with a sufficiently rude retort. She turned her full attention to Sesshoumaru. "You've told me that it is best for me to remain here. I'd appreciate knowing why."

"Three centuries ago, my father befriended a human girl named Midoriko, the same woman who created the jewel you are wearing," Sesshoumaru replied without preamble, sounding as though he disliked confiding this history to the presented audience. "He felt that he owed her a favor, and so he gifted her with the sword I warned you against. As I have told you, I was present when Midoriko died, when she sealed those demons and created the Shikon no Tama. During her final battle, she was attempting to fight off the control of an outside force; that of a human man named Ashrem. He had somehow developed the ability to dominate another's will and actions through mental manipulation. How so, I do not know."

"And why was he manipulating Midoriko?" Kagome asked, visibly subdued by the story. Even Inuyasha seemed to be listening with interest.

"He wanted to use her as his personal youkai exterminator, with the intention of beginning that extermination with my father and myself. The sword my father created for her has the ability to purify a demonic aura, the amount of destruction wrought by it being directly related to the strength of the youkai it is being used against and that of the one wielding it." Sesshoumaru paused, before revealing his enemy's motive. "Ashrem had a deep resentment against us for ruling the west, and against youkai in general. Because Midoriko had managed to earn our trust and friendship, he believed that she would be a suitable weapon, and he was correct. She was nearly successful in killing me while under his control."

"And you still claim you didn't cause her death? It's pretty hard for me to believe that you'd let a human girl take a swing at you without killing her where she stood," Inuyasha stated grimly.

"She and I were on friendly terms. I knew it was not something she would have done under her own will," Sesshoumaru responded stiffly.

"'_Friendly terms'_?" Inuyasha asked with more than a little curiosity, finally sinking down into a seat, legs rudely propping themselves on a table. "I'd like to hear about that, especially with all the flack you've given me about Kagome over the years."

"And _that's_ the part that's none of your business, little brother," Sesshoumaru reminded him swiftly, eyes narrowing with irritation as he paused to shove Inuyasha's dirty bare feet off of his furniture. "My involvement with Midoriko was never improper. I doubt that you can say the same."

"Then you believe," Kagome said slowly, purposefully interrupting what was obviously a subject that was about to morph into an argument, "that he is now using me?"

Sesshoumaru turned his attention back to her, and Inuyasha took the moment to thump his feet back onto the table. "Ashrem has been released and has found that a human woman with similar abilities to those of Midoriko shares a link with him through the Shikon no Tama. I do not know if he has become able to control you directly, but I have my suspicions. I do know that you are my best means of finding him. I told Inuyasha earlier that you could very well become the source of another Shikon no Tama. Those were not idle words."

Kagome blinked in surprise. "But how …?"

"Do you not see the similarities between then and now, miko? The sword has resurrected itself, you possess the Shikon no Tama, you have powers of your own, and Ashrem is involved. The last time all of these things met, Midoriko was forced to create the Shikon no Tama in order to defeat her foes." Sesshoumaru was pleased to see that at least the miko seemed to be taking his words seriously, and added, "Ashrem is a coward. He will not come at me directly, but instead through someone else. If you are that person, then it will be best for you to do as I say."

"I'm not going to try to kill you, Sesshoumaru."

"Odd that our past history says differently," he answered wryly, recalling a few battles where some well-placed arrows had been a source of contention.

"That goes both ways, pal," Inuyasha spoke up, and he watched with silent, evil amusement as Sesshoumaru's eyes slid back toward him.

"The next time I have to remove your feet, it will be permanent, Inuyasha. Decide whether you want to keep them," Sesshoumaru prompted icily, claws twitching with unstated threat, and this time Inuyasha decided to pull his legs down on his own, gesturing rudely at his brother's back as Sesshoumaru turned once more to Kagome.

"I know what I'm looking for," he told her with certainty. "You are not powerful enough to kill me, just as Midoriko was not strong enough to defeat that horde of demons. The Shikon no Tama resulted from her efforts. I'd prefer it if you did not curse us with another."

Kagome nodded, brown eyes troubled. "I can understand why you would be nervous about me getting too near that sword. But why Rin?"

Rin, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, now found herself looking up at Sesshoumaru as he answered with less confidence. "The sword responds to her. I am not certain as to the depth of its involvement in creating the Shikon no Tama. It is for that reason I've asked her to stay away from it."

"All right, now that the big story is out, what do we do? Just sit here and stare at each other?" Inuyasha asked restlessly.

"We wait," Sesshoumaru answered easily. "Ashrem will not remain silent for long."

* * *

Nor would it seem they would have to wait long for violence to erupt between the two brothers.

Rin was busily straightening the room she and Kagome were sharing as she listened patiently to Jaken's endless list of complaints about their guests and the fact that the house smelled entirely too much of hanyou and human. When she decided to tune him out, her ears quickly picked up on the sound of two easily recognizable male voices exchanging unintelligible words, voices that quickly rose in tone and temper until Rin was unable to close her ears to the insults that were frequently being punctuated by some of the most impressive expletives she had ever heard.

"Why must they be like this?" she grumbled, interrupting Jaken's long-winded speech. The toad blinked as he, too, listened to what was coming from outside the window.

"The hanyou challenges Sesshoumaru-sama's authority," Jaken informed her contemptuously.

"His authority? How so?" Rin inquired, wincing as a particularly foul word rang through the open window.

"Baka, you're just a human, you wouldn't understand," Jaken sniffed imperiously at her.

"Try me."

"Sesshoumaru-sama is the head of the family, he is the eldest and the alpha male. Inuyasha was not raised in a household that included this structure, and so he has no respect for it. To Sesshoumaru-sama, this is a challenge to his dominance."

"And for Inuyasha, it's a matter of pride," Rin finished thoughtfully. And how were they ever to solve such a quarrel? she wondered, as she folded up the bed. The sudden loud onslaught of clashing weapons was what made her stop her chores and hurry to the front of the house.

"What's wrong! They were only yelling just a minute ago!" Rin exclaimed as she ran out to find Kagome perched on the edge of the top step, shaking her head as she, too, watched the brothers hack murderously at each other.

"They're within ten feet of each other, aren't they?" Kagome said with an exasperated sigh, resting her chin in her hands.

"Then they're _always_ like this?" Rin asked, her heart pounding with worry as Toukijin swept just over Inuyasha's head.

"Yep."

"Will they hurt each other?"

"Probably, but they won't kill each other. Their father knew what he was doing. Give one son a sword that can kill his brother, give the other a sword that will keep his brother from killing him. Inutaisho-sama was a genius."

"Or he knew what to expect in the future," Rin sighed, dropping down to sit next to Kagome. "Shouldn't we try to stop them?"

"It's probably better for them to get it out of their systems. They're not used to being in such close quarters with each other," Kagome answered reassuringly, even though she was growing nervous as well at what looked to be a serious intent on the part of both demons to dismember each other.

"_KAZE NO KI---" _both girls tensed in alarm, but Sesshoumaru leapt at the hanyou and swung Toukijin, knocking the Tessaiga out of Inuyasha's grasp. The hanyou responded by gripping his brother's wrist with both hands, creating a stalemate until Sesshoumaru released Toukijin. The fight promptly degenerated into a flurry of fists and claw attacks.

"They're acting like children."

"Or rabid dogs?" Kagome mildly suggested.

"I don't think we should let this continue," Rin said nervously.

"I think they've had enough," Kagome declared suddenly, noticing that Sesshoumaru was now dangling Inuyasha off the ground by the throat and, likewise, the hanyou's claws were dug into Sesshoumaru's own neck.

Rin watched as Kagome stood up, brushed off her short skirt, and walked sedately down the stairs, heading for the two demons. After only a moment's hesitation Rin followed her, disturbed by the maliciousness of the fight.

"Okay, you two, let's stop it here," Kagome ordered them.

"His existence tries my _patience_," Sesshoumaru snarled. Inuyasha said nothing, instead settling for glaring angrily into his brother's face.

"It's not as though you had much of that to begin with. Let him go, Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha, you, too."

Neither youkai budged, instead their hateful eyes fixed on each other as though willing the other to drop dead from the force of their stare. "Yes, let go, hanyou," Sesshoumaru finally suggested, though his own hold on Inuyasha did not slacken in the least.

Inuyasha winced as a burning sensation began to crawl across his throat, scorching the skin. He responded to Sesshoumaru's subtle use of poison by clamping his claws even further into his brother's neck, creating deepening puncture wounds. Sesshoumaru, in turn, intensified the attack, his fingers and hand turning a disturbing green color as they worked to burn away Inuyasha's skin. A low growl emanated from Inuyasha's throat, but he did not seem at all inclined to be the first to give in.

"You want to try to outlast me, half-breed?" he murmured maliciously into Inuyasha's face. "So much overconfidence in one weak little body. Your head will roll off your shoulders at this rate."

Unnerved by the cold, dead look on Sesshoumaru's face, Rin finally ended the stalemate by reaching out and grasping onto the back of his hand. Instantly, she wondered if she had just done something very stupid, as the feeling that her fingers were melting began to crawl up the nerves in her arm. Her action had the desired result, however. Sesshoumaru instantly ceased the flow of poison and shook Rin's hand off, dropping Inuyasha in the process.

"Wash your hand!" Sesshoumaru barked at her as Inuyasha picked himself up from the ground, looking for all the world like he would rather just resume the argument. Sesshoumaru did not give him the opportunity; instead he stalked off toward the house without so much as a parting insult to the hanyou.

Wordlessly, Rin did as he commanded, flexing the burning appendage as she walked over to the pond. She knelt next to the water and plunged her arm in up to the elbow, her moment of worry over the heavy-handed fight quickly metamorphosing into slowly-building anger as she wriggled her fingers underneath the water. _He really needs to learn to control his temper when his brother's around, _she thought fiercely. _What was I supposed to do? Stand there and watch him decapitate Inuyasha?_

"Is it bad, Rin-chan?" Kagome asked quietly, kneeling next to the younger girl.

"It's fine," Rin replied quickly, pulling her hand up to look at the blistering skin. It had been worth it, too. It had bothered her more than she could express, seeing Sesshoumaru so stubbornly bent on having the last word with Inuyasha. What argument between them could possibly be worth such lethal retaliation?

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, turning to watch as a surly half-demon moved past the girls and knelt to dunk his head in the water, his hands scrubbing at his own burning skin. Kagome moved to help him, pouring handfuls of water on the back of his neck, which bore the burned imprints of Sesshoumaru's fingers and claws.

"That damned cur," Inuyasha growled, pulling his drenched head up and quickly shaking the water out of his hair, inadvertently splattering Kagome and Rin, who drew back from the unexpected shower. "When this Ashrem guy finally shows up, I know which side I'm cheering for."

* * *

As night approached the western lord's home, the house contained two ill-tempered demons, two exasperated human females, and a retainer who, in his excessively vocal attempt to side with his master, had only found himself a victim of Sesshoumaru's ire via a rather creative death threat.

The vengeful hanyou was in a sulky mood that his human companion was doing her best to lift, which was why Rin decided to leave her room to Kagome and Inuyasha for the night. She hoped that he would be less easily angered if he spent a night in comfort, rather than up in a tree as he had chosen to do the night before.

This, of course, left Rin to find somewhere else to sleep. After her nightly bath, she wandered the long corridors, periodically stopping to look inside a room to see if it at least contained something soft to sleep on. She did not dare go and ask Sesshoumaru for direction; he was in a foul mood and she didn't want to find herself on the receiving end of his harsh words as Jaken had. Even so, it was not long before the strange movements in the abandoned sections of the house drew his attention, as Rin was quick to discover when she turned to leave a room only to find him blocking the door behind her.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously.

"Trying to find a place to sleep. There's nothing in any of these rooms," she informed him, calming down slowly after the fright of his sudden appearance.

"I don't like guests," he reminded her. "And what is wrong with your own room?"

"I think Kagome wanted Inuyasha to stay with her for the night. He's in a pretty bad mood."

"Good. I'll make it worse by removing him from the house."

"Please," Rin pled instantly, reaching out to grab onto his arm as he turned to go fulfill that statement. "Can't we make this a little more peaceful? They don't want to be here any more than you want them here. But you _were_ the one that asked them to stay."

"I asked _her_ to stay, not him," Sesshoumaru corrected her, his eyes falling to the blistered hand that was tugging on his sleeve. "And you should not have interfered earlier today."

"I wasn't just going to let you two kill each other."

"I would not have killed him, but he often needs to be reminded of his station."

"His station," Rin repeated flatly. "Because you are a full youkai? Because he is half human?"

"You are angry," he said, looking as though the very idea amazed him.

"I am," she verified, surprised at the sudden surge in irritation toward him. "I don't understand you in the least, Sesshoumaru-sama. I keep hearing the words "superior" and "inferior" as descriptions of youkai and human, and it makes me wonder what I'm doing here."

"I told you to drop the title."

"At the moment, I feel more comfortable using it," she replied quickly, aware that she was sounding petulant.

He stared at her silently, a gaze that she matched with equal intensity, refusing to turn away. Finally, he gave in and spoke quietly, "Come with me."

"What?" she asked, dumbfounded by the sudden turn in conversation.

"Come with me," he repeated, grasping onto her elbow and pulling her through the doorway with him.

She did not protest further as she allowed him to lead her toward the center of the house, finally coming to a dark well of stairs that looked black enough to be a descent into hell. Rin recalled coming upon this place once as a little girl. She had been too terrified of it to ever try to explore it; the opening had looked too much like a giant, gaping mouth.

"There is nothing in there that will harm you. On the contrary," he told her, as though picking up on her reticence to descend into such utter blackness. He kept a firm grip on her arm as he led the way down, his sight perfectly functional, hers completely blinded. A strange herbal smell filtered past Rin's nose and she frowned into the darkness.

"What is this place?"

"It stores medicines that are useful against various forms of youkai and exterminator attacks," Sesshoumaru informed her. "Because most of my father's family was killed by the northerners long ago, he found himself in a difficult predicament, attempting to retain the lands he had just reclaimed with very little help. He found himself under attack by all manner of demons, all of which he was able to defeat, but, at times, not without a cost to himself. Each variation of demon possesses different attacks, some with weapons, some of an elemental nature, some of poisons or energy, all of which differ from demon bloodline to demon bloodline. In order to help preserve his life as well as those around him, my father began accumulating a vast collection of antidotes and medicines that serve to counteract these attacks. Demons heal very quickly, but even more so with this sort of aid. And I cannot count the number of humans he rescued."

Rin listened, stumbling slightly on a step before she managed to reach out and clasp onto the shoulder of his absent arm to right herself. When they reached the bottom, she could just make out the flickering of a melting candle, glowing like a beacon. Sesshoumaru released her and picked it up, using it to light two of the sconces along the stone walls. Rin wondered how far underneath the house they were. The temperature had seemed to drop with every descending step and this room was nothing short of frigid.

She looked around her, noticing the many shelves and cupboards that lined the walls, though most were nothing more than shadowy outlines in the vague light. Sesshoumaru, unhindered by the lack of much illumination, opened one of the cupboard doors and rummaged through it briefly before extracting something.

Rin moved back to his side as he placed the small jar on a long wooden table underneath one of the flickering wall lamps. He reached for an empty bowl and a bottle of some liquid that she assumed to be water, pouring some into the bowl before adding a large dose of a powdery substance, using his fingers to quickly swish it around into a mixture. Rin squinted her eyes and backed a step away from what smelled like rotting vegetables.

Before she could ask him what he was doing, Sesshoumaru had reached for her injured hand and pushed it down into the muck, which was becoming less liquid and more mud-like by the moment.

"Keep it there," he said quietly, but she could not have pulled it out even if she had wanted to, as he was keeping it submerged with his own hand.

Within only seconds, Rin could feel a strange, icy tingling surging from fingertips to shoulder, a feeling that increased until it was almost uncomfortable. "What is it …?"

"It counteracts my own poison."

After several more minutes, he released her hand and allowed her to withdraw it, gesturing for her to clean her hands with some of the water. As she washed the muddy substance off of her skin, Rin realized instantly that the terrible stiffness had left her fingers. He watched her expectantly as she brought her hand up for inspection, flexing her fingers.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru," she said, amazed at the sudden painlessness in her hand and, by now, having completely forgotten that she had been angry with him only minutes earlier.

"I apologize."

She froze at the sound of this unfamiliar word coming from him. "Apologize?" she repeated, as though she had not heard correctly.

"Yes, for the injury."

"Ah, well, as you said, I interfered …"

"I would not have stopped for anyone else," he said so suddenly, that Rin blinked at the words. She struggled to see his face in the darkness, but could not, save the faint glow of his eyes. "But you know that. And that, Rin, is why you are still here with me, in my home," he said, referencing her earlier bitterly stated confusion.

"I don't understand what you're saying," Rin said, though her instincts were telling her that this conversation was about to take a decidedly more intimate turn.

"Likely because I am not good at saying it," Sesshoumaru admitted, his quiet nature fighting against the obvious need to have this discussion.

"Saying what?" she asked, very aware of the fact that he was unnaturally close to her, not at all maintaining his usual polite distance. Her skin began to heat up of its own accord and she wondered how she could ever have mistaken this room for cold …

"You are here," he began slowly, "because your heart wills you to stay with me; despite my character, despite the fact that I abhor your species, despite the fact that we, truly, should not be doing this."

"Sesshoumaru---" she began, astonished at the truth he so bluntly stated.

"Do you deny it?"

"No," she replied. Her brain and body were caught in an internal warfare, one enjoying how close they were standing together, the other, more panicky organ suggesting that she flee in panic. What had brought on this conversation? she wondered. It was so unlike him, so disconcerting, and so completely coming out of nowhere. But, then, he was often unpredictable …

"Then I owe you a similar confession," he added then, a faint uncertainty lacing his voice, as though he wondered at his own wisdom for confiding these words to her. "You have managed to elicit a response from me that no one else has ever managed. You have become as important to me as myself and, knowing that you are likely quite unaware of how truly self-centered I am, I will tell you that you should not take that statement lightly."

"I'm not sure I understand," Rin said breathlessly, both ecstatic and terrified at what he was saying.

"You are in love with me."

Rin stared at him, wide-eyed, amazed at the bluntly stated declaration. Her heart lurched to a standstill, feeling as though she had been caught at something she was not supposed to be doing, something that was offensive. Still, she refused to deny it. If he had decided that now was the time for honesty, she would be willing to give it back. "Yes," she finally admitted.

"Then I should tell you that that is indescribably alarming."

"A-alarming?" Rin stammered, trying to keep her tone level, but aware that the word still came out sounding choked. Now she wished she could take back that admission; it was not something she would have wanted out in the open between them if she could have guessed at his response. A crushing feeling was clamping over her, squeezing her, making her somehow want to cry or laugh or, better yet,_ flee_.

Sesshoumaru frowned at his poor word usage as he witnessed the sudden look of misery that crossed her face. _I am terrible at this_, he thought with grim certainty…which was why he confused the poor girl even more by refuting her attempt to put some distance between them. Instead, he reached out to grip her shoulder, pulling her even closer. Her head was bent, as though she found it difficult to look at him, and he felt a sudden, nearly irrepressible urge to _touch_ her, not trap her so that she could not run away...

"There is very little that I can allow for, Rin, and I am not entirely certain it would be in your best interests to agree to engage in such a lacking relationship. Staying permanently with me would mean no true marriage for you, no children, no family. I don't think you should be so quick to give those things up in order to spend your remaining years near me." He paused then, appreciating the delicate features of her face as it finally turned upward to meet his gaze once more. She was so … _familiar_; it was a strange feeling. And it was also incredible to him that he would ever have become so infatuated with a human girl. Inexcusable. Indefensible. _Perhaps I have inherited some of my father's weakness after all_, he thought, less than pleased at the idea.

"Do you see what I am saying?" he asked her, his voice quiet and subdued. "There are some things I can never give you. I have responsibilities to my position, to my family, and to my kind. If I should ever show weakness by shirking those in order to provide you with a normal life, the regional youkai will do what they can to destroy me, you, and everything I have here. I cannot allow for that. It simply is not in me to do."

Rin absorbed his honest words, finally managing to find her own voice. "What is it that you want, Sesshoumaru? It seems to me that you would be giving up as much as I would be."

"My life would continue on as it is right now, something that I am content with. You don't have the same number of years, Rin. What I want from this is your decision. I will not make it for you; I did that once before concerning the direction of your life. You can make this one."

"But it's so hard to read you. I don't know how to tell what you want," she whispered in frustration, but was cut off when his head suddenly descended, a curtain of long, white hair whispering past the sides of her face as his lips met hers, softly, seductively. His hand crept to the back of her head, holding her in place until he was ready to end the kiss. Rin swayed slightly in surprise when he finally drew back.

"I think it's quite easy to discern what I want," he disagreed.

She took a moment to catch her breath, so astounded by what had just occurred that she could think of nothing to say. She was hyper aware of certain things, the shaking of her hands, the fierce blush that was burning her cheeks, and the visual perfection of the face that stared back at her, waiting, watching, seeming amused by how rattled she was. "I …"

"Consider it carefully," he advised.

She nodded, unable to look away from him for several long moments before she finally managed to gather her senses. She looked toward the table, at the bowl that was still filled with the horrible-smelling medicine. "I'll … take this to Inuyasha …."

Sesshoumaru took a moment to acquiesce, but his desire to appease her won out over the vindictiveness he felt toward his brother. He nodded lightly. "Do what you like."

* * *

When Rin woke up the next morning to find a dull, gray pre-dawn hanging overhead, she could not help but wonder if she had just dreamed the strange, darkly secluded conversation she had shared with Sesshoumaru. She could almost say she wished she had. A deep confusion clung to her, making her feel heavy as she moved around and got dressed quietly, not wanting to disturb Kagome.

In a roundabout way, he had told her that he shared her feelings, which had been both shocking and wonderful to hear from him; but he had also been horribly honest with his declaration that this, essentially, was it. They would go on as they were now for as long as she allowed it. He had put it in her hands.

The desire to return to Kameko, to do as he had recommended and resume a normal human life had strengthened considerably since last night. Cruelly, it was his own admission of how important she was to him that made her just as willing to live her life out with him, as he had also invited her to do. She was so confused and unsure of the path to take that she had remained awake late into the night, asking herself hypothetical questions in order to gain more clarity as to her true feelings about her future. That had gotten her nowhere. Did she want to give up the prospect of children and a family? No. Would she be happy with a life that did not include Sesshoumaru? No. It seemed either way some unseen force was mocking her, and it made her wonder what it was that had instigated him to restore her life to her all those years earlier, only to bring her to a decision as horrible as this.

Aware that she must be quite the morose figure, moping around the house as she was, Rin wandered toward the beckoning expanse of nature that lay outside, all of which was dripping and sodden from the storms of the previous night. She found Inuyasha seated lazily out on the covered platform and, noting the soaked state of his clothing and tangled hair, she shook her head at his obstinate decision to spend yet another night in a tree.

"You didn't have to stay out there, Inuyasha. It's not like he would have locked you out."

"I'd rather have slept in that flood," Inuyasha muttered back. "This place stinks of him."

"He's not so bad," Rin said with a smile, settling down next to him.

"You have no idea what you're talking about. He may turn on the nice demon act for you, but he's an arrogant, sadistic, heartless bastard. It doesn't look like you're going to take my warning."

Rin watched as the calm, cool air suddenly blew in another sheet of rain, driving into the ground, spearing the water, and scaring the fish away to deeper depths. _So much for a nice, sunny day_, she thought with an inward sigh. "There is a lot of him that I have not seen," she finally admitted, remembering the murderous expression on his face during the fight of the day before.

"You can say that again."

"You really hate him, don't you?"

"Absolutely," Inuyasha agreed without hesitation. "You would, too, if you actually knew him. You seem like a pretty decent girl. I can't figure it out."

Rin raised her eyebrows and decided to challenge the hanyou's statement. "Maybe _I_ am the one that actually knows him."

Inuyasha gave a derisive snort, clearly finding that to be unlikely. "Is this supposed to be some sort of attempt to get me to go in there and tell him it's all water under the bridge? Not even Kagome's that dumb."

"No, I know better than that. Neither of you has any inclination to reconcile, so that would be pointless."

"So glad you noticed."

Rin fell silent for several moments before turning the conversation. "Do you know how I came to be with him, Inuyasha?"

"No, and I'm sure I don't want to," came the dry response.

Rin continued on, undaunted by his attempt to shut down the conversation. "I met him while I was wandering through a forest outside of my village. He was wounded after a battle he had had with you, waiting to heal up before moving on. I tried to help him."

"That was pretty damned stupid of you."

"Probably," she agreed with a smile. "And he thought so, too. He wouldn't accept any of my help. I tried bringing him food, water, anything I could think of."

"Didn't they teach you anything about demons in that village?" Inuyasha asked sardonically, trying to picture the frightening scene that would be Sesshoumaru attempting to be friendly with a human child. The very thought nearly made him shudder. "Why would you do that?"

"I'm not sure. I think … since I was orphaned and living alone, I knew what it was like not to have anyone there to help me. When I saw him, I thought that I understood how he probably felt, and decided to try to help him. I didn't want him to feel lonely."

"He _likes_ 'lonely'."

She laughed at the truth of that statement, grinning at the old memory. "At the time I didn't know that, nor would I have understood. But, in any case, when the wolves massacred my village---"

"Wolves?" Inuyasha asked, his mind slowly putting two and two together as he recalled that their first meet-up with Kouga had occurred in a recently slaughtered village, just a day or so after he had used Kaze no Kizu on Sesshoumaru.

"Yes. I tried to escape, but they hunted me down on the path I was taking back to the woods. They killed me."

"Killed you," Inuyasha repeated, suddenly having an idea of where this story was going. "And then?"

"The next thing I remember is opening my eyes to find Sesshoumaru there. He had used Tenseiga to revive me, though I didn't learn that until later. He walked away, but I followed him. He let me stay with him, and here I am today."

"So, your point is he's a nicer guy if he's gotten his ass kicked recently."

"No, my point is that Sesshoumaru remembers loyalty. He is capable of compassion and kindness. He's not evil, as you claim."

"I still don't see what this is supposed to be telling me," Inuyasha insisted with a shrug.

"Nothing in particular, other than what I have said. The next time you wonder why he does something that goes against your characterization of evil, just know that sometimes he does things for the right reasons." She halted her speech for a moment before adding, "Kagome came to warn him just for the sake of trying to save his life. He will reward that by making sure she is not harmed by Ashrem."

"_I _can make sure Kagome stays safe."

"Then with the two of you, there's no way Ashrem can touch her," Rin told him with a confident smile.

* * *

Rin had hoped that her conversation with Inuyasha would perhaps turn the hanyou's feelings a bit, calm him down and assure him that he was not in a house where the host was plotting to claw the life out of him the moment he turned his back. It appeared to work for the most part. The two brothers steered very clear of each other for the entire day, something the girls expressed great relief over. The tension in the house dropped perceptibly, likely mostly because Sesshoumaru left periodically to search out clues as to Ashrem's possible whereabouts.

Rin and Kagome had decided to pass away the boredom of the day, stuck inside while a downpour deluged the outside, by creating a nice dinner. The peacefulness of the dreary afternoon was often broken by loud bickering between Jaken and Inuyasha, who traded periodic insults with each other. It seemed Jaken felt compelled to remind the hanyou of his station as sub-youkai during the departure of his master, and Inuyasha appeared, on several occasions, to have to restrain himself from pulling Tessaiga on the ardent little retainer.

Rin solved this problem by shoving a plate of half-raw food under Jaken's nose with a suggestion that he go eat somewhere else. He had accepted the dinner, but had stubbornly stationed himself across from the lounging half-demon, shoveling his mouth full of food while eyeing Inuyasha with a sullen expression. Even so, Rin's plan had worked. As long as Jaken's mouth was full, he wasn't talking himself into an early grave.

Sesshoumaru returned from his outside ventures and, judging from his manner, Rin concluded that he had discovered very little about his enemy's location. It was difficult to meet his gaze after the conversation of the night before. Having everything out in the open between them was as much a relief as it was horribly uncomfortable. He must have sensed her nervousness, because he made the concession to eat with them, something he rarely ever did.

Inuyasha, who had shown no interest in food that had been obtained and cooked within his brother's house, had refused to join them at all…until _Sesshoumaru_ agreed to do so. Only moments after the youkai lord had joined them at the table, Inuyasha left to rummage through Kagome's backpack for a cup of ramen noodles. He then returned to them, sitting down defiantly in the space directly opposite Sesshoumaru, fixing him with a challenging stare, as though daring him to order him away from the meal.

With wordless irritation, Inuyasha grasped the container of hot tea from the table and poured it into the plastic cup of noodles before setting it back down. He resumed staring a hole through Sesshoumaru as he waited for the noodles to soften.

"Inuyasha … that was tea," Kagome warned delicately.

"I don't care. It's hot … it'll cook them." After waiting a few moments, Inuyasha grabbed his chopsticks and began eagerly slurping away at the noodles, making Rin wonder if he had even had a decent meal in the past week.

To this point, Sesshoumaru had been ignoring the hanyou, but the noise of Inuyasha's eating brought out his ire and he pierced Inuyasha with a look that would have wilted a cactus.

"It seems that Izayoi failed, among many things, to teach you how to eat properly in front of others," he said, disdain dripping from every word.

Inuyasha paused his eating, bringing the cup down just enough to peer at his brother over the rim. "Yeah? Well, _your_ mother should have concentrated less on your table manners and more on keeping from raising such a jerk. She must have thought you were something really special if she let you run around with all those self-delusions. She shoulda _smacked_ some manners into you."

Kagome and Rin exchanged sick looks as the tension in the room began to build swiftly. It was like watching a sinking ship, and Rin's fingers gripped the table, as though physically holding it upright.

"If she had lived longer, then perhaps that would have occurred. Then again, if she had lived, your life would have ended before you would have been able to draw breath," Sesshoumaru said with a slight, malicious smile. "A courtesy done to us all, most especially for Father, who would still be here."

"If _you_ wanted him here so bad, you should've gotten off your ass and helped him," Inuyasha's words sliced across the table, tone turning sarcastic as he added around another mouthful of noodles, "And, you know, with a woman like that at home, I can't _imagine_ why Father decided to look elsewhere."

"Inuyasha, maybe we should---" Kagome began, looking as though she was preparing to drag him bodily from the room, but she was cut off by Sesshoumaru's icy words, a voice that rang of looming death.

"He did not "look elsewhere" until after her death, mutt. Then he satisfied himself with a long line of human whores, one right after the other, _your_ mother being the last."

"You must be suicidal, you ugly son of a bit ---!"

"_Don't_ finish that sentence, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru growled back.

"Please, stop this," Rin pleaded, halfway rising out of her seat; it was unbearable listening to them speak this way. Really, she was finding that their physical fights were less stressful than this battle of horrible words. "Just _eat_."

Inuyasha finally slammed the container of ramen back down on the table, looking as though he would like nothing more than to leap across the table. Before Kagome could think of anything to say to calm him down, the hanyou surged up from his seat, accidentally knocking his dinner onto the floor, splattering the noodle mixture all over the wooden boards. Rin and Kagome watched as he stormed out of the back of the house.

The room became quiet as a grave. Then, as if coming to a silent decision, Sesshoumaru got up swiftly and followed Inuyasha, reaching for Toukijin on his way outside. Moments later, the familiar sounds of cursing and clanging metal could be heard raucously echoing from the outdoors.

"They're way too much alike," Rin finally murmured, fighting the urge to plug her ears.

"In all the worst ways," Kagome agreed with a sigh.

* * *

**To the Reviewers:**

_**Jabba1: **Hmmm … fluff. Well, you said that you're relatively new to the Inuyasha world, and I'll tell you that I am pretty new to the fan fiction world. I'm not especially clear on what "fluff" is. If it's hugs-and-kisses type stuff, you're right, it would be tough to do that with Sesshoumaru. He's not especially snuggly. ;) Although I am perfectly aware that there are billions of fangirls out there who would be more than willing to help him with that if only he was real. ;) And I agree that the Rin/Sesshoumaru relationship is oddly complicated. In the show, I'm not even sure if he knows exactly why she's with him._

_**Sesshoumaru'sFirefly: **Agh! Girl, science is far more important than fan fiction! Okay, yeah, I say that now that the semester is over, but I should have listened to my own advice while school was in session. I cannot count the amount of times when I should have been studying and was working on this instead._

_**Reillu: **Yeah, Aiwendil was sweet enough to plug it, I remember. Quite an honor for me since she's on my "kick-ass writers" list. I hope your eyes didn't fall out from reading this all at one time! It's ridiculously long, but I can't help it. And don't worry, it will be finished. I know that a lot of people tend to abandon their stories on here, but I've got to finish this. I'm too far into it at this point and too much of a perfectionist to abandon it…even though I suspect the third movie is about to destroy most of this. ;) Have you seen the pics of Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's dad? He looks so much like Sesshoumaru … it's weird. He may just turn out to be the hottest of the three of them! ;) I wish I lived in Japan:P_

_**Blaise: **I totally think that Tenseiga urges him to revive things until he just gives in and does it. That's why I put into one of my chapters that he thought the sword had a mind of its own. I think it's debatable as to who controls who as far as that goes. ;) And this "Irritated or Agitated Heart" fic … do you mean it sounds a lot like mine? If so … jeez, how annoying. I don't think I've read it …. but I haven't read all that many fics on here yet. Basically, if I'm writing, I'm generally not reading because I don't want to get things confused. LOL! I definitely don't want to read it if it's a lot like mine … not after all the time I spent brainstorming this thing. That would be so depressing._

_**Silver Spell: **I never used to study much, either…and then college arrived! ;) The amount of reading I have to do is just heinous. Sorry about the lack of description. I'll try to remember to spiff that up in the rewrite. Thanks for the suggestion. :D I download most of my Inuyasha episodes. I own some, but the rest I get from Kazaa or Places like that. Being an author would be very cool, but I don't think I'd have the ability to do it. My attention span would probably not hold up for a 300 page novel. ;) Good luck with yours, though:D_

_**Ourania: **This is the really fun part of doing this story. It's fun to talk back to people. ;) And I hate her, too. God, she's annoying, but don't worry about that …. a couple of chapters from now, I think Rin may just try to kick her ass. Out of character for her? Definitely! And there's a reason for that. :D And, yeah, I figured Sesshoumaru would just go in there, say what he had to say, and get the heck out. They're probably all so beneath his notice. ;)_

_**Aiwendil Amaurea: **Thanks! Although the last one was so long, I had to try twice to get it to upload to :P And that was the sweetest compliment! Hopefully this chapter didn't just destroy that, but I know you understand perfectly about how difficult it is to write him in romantic situations. Still, you always do a great job. Hopefully I'll be able to pull it off, too._

_**New Fan: **Wow, what an ego boost. LOL! As you can see, that part of things progressed a lot in this chapter. I had a problem deciding on whether or not to go ahead with that scene, but I figured, "Hey, Sesshy isn't shy. If he thinks something needs to be said, he's gonna say it!" As far as Ashrem getting a hold of Rin, that's going to lead up to some big-time drama. Just what I like to write. ;) Sesshy's going to find himself making quite a selfless decision. I shall leave it there. :D_


	16. Marked

As they listened to the escalating fight outdoors, Rin and Kagome sat quietly at the table, alternately staring at their uneaten food and each other, neither knowing what to say. Rin knew that she was supposed to be on Sesshoumaru's side in this conflict. It was just so difficult to remain on either side; they were both wrong, both ridiculous, and both so anxious to tear the other limb from limb. 

Disgruntled to find that a fight was taking place without his participation as a spectator, Jaken scurried outside as soon as he realized what was happening. Now as the girls waited tensely for it to end, they could hear Jaken's own loud squalling cheers for Sesshoumaru to be victorious against "that nasty half-breed!" being added to the cacophony of noise.

A blinding flash of light and energy shot past the windows and, judging from the excited exclamation from Jaken, Rin could easily guess as to whom it had come from. The sound of trees being leveled was very clear; the snapping of wood and crashing of part of the forest falling in on itself echoed resoundingly from outside. Rin finally rose from the table and went out to join Jaken, arriving just as Inuyasha picked himself up from where he had dove out of the way of Sesshoumaru's attack.  

Without hesitation, Inuyasha raised Tetsusaiga, screaming "Bakuryuuha!" just as Sesshoumaru swung Toukijin. The two energies clashed violently, causing the ground underneath Rin's feet to shake as though caught in an earthquake. Both demons were tossed backward, Sesshoumaru landing gracefully on his feet, Inuyasha crashing haphazardly into the ground once more, Tetsusaiga dropping beside him.  Before the hanyou could rise, Sesshoumaru was hovering over him, Toukijin pressing sharply against his throat.

Kagome joined Rin and Jaken outside in time to witness this, all three of whom watched while the two demons exchanged some more heated words. Rin worried that Inuyasha might just talk himself into being impaled, and she could guess, judging from the concerned frown on Kagome's face, that the thought had occurred to her as well.

Finally, Sesshoumaru seemed to have had his say and drew back a step, pulling Toukijin away. He turned to walk back toward the house, but Inuyasha, clearly not finished with the fight, suddenly lunged for Tetsusaiga, bringing the sword up to renew the battle. Sesshoumaru whirled instantly and knocked the sword out of his brother's hand, but did not dodge the retaliating claw attack that cut across his face. Inuyasha was pleased to see the cool facade fade into fury, but was much less thrilled when Sesshoumaru reached out and got a stranglehold on him, turning his neck at an odd angle, clearly giving serious thought to finishing the fight very permanently.

But as his fingers tightened around his brother's throat and found the weak spot where bone and spine came together, Sesshoumaru found that, as usual, he could not bring himself to do it. He greatly disliked Inuyasha, but he could still easily remember all of the effort Inutaisho had put into keeping the boy alive. Sesshoumaru would not make his father's death meaningless by killing the hanyou. He finally said in a menacing voice, "If I release you, are you going to persist in fighting me, runt?"

"I'll kill you," Inuyasha growled back.

"Then I'll have to beat that arrogance out of you," Sesshoumaru replied, shoving Inuyasha away from him and reaching once more for Toukijin.

The girls continued to watch morosely as the two demons started tearing into each other again. Jaken resumed crowing over the hanyou's coming demise and Rin reached a foot out to nudge him off the step, sending him squawking into some shrubbery. "Don't encourage them, Jaken-sama," she scolded.

The sun began to set. Darkness came, blackening everything to the point where Rin and Kagome could only barely make out shadowy forms and the occasional flash of light that signified an attack from one of the swords. 

"This is endless," Rin said hours later with a weary shake of her head as she returned outside with blankets for herself and Kagome. Her eyes began to burn sleepily as the night crept into the early morning hours. 

"They're wearing themselves out," Kagome replied from where she was leaning tiredly against one of the wooden columns. "It's been at least a good half hour since either of them has tried to use one of their attacks."

And, indeed, as Rin squinted out into the darkness, she could hear only the clanging of swords being used in hand-to-hand combat. Even the insults had stopped. Rin had the feeling that that, more than anything, was signifying that the battle was coming to its close. 

Both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were showing signs of weariness, the hanyou even more so, which Sesshoumaru capitalized on. He sheathed Toukijin. Inuyasha gave one more tired, wild swing before his brother's fist shot out and flattened him to the ground. Sesshoumaru took a step back, breathing heavily and watching as Inuyasha remained on his back, gasping for air.  

"Are you finished yet, half-breed?" Sesshoumaru asked darkly.

"Hell no," Inuyasha exhaled, though he made no move to even sit up. 

"Yes, you are." 

"Never speak that way about my mother again," Inuyasha warned, finally summoning enough spare energy to pull himself to his feet.

"You think that is what this is about?" Sesshoumaru questioned contemptuously. "Do not fool yourself."

"I hate you," Inuyasha growled, too tired to think of a decent enough insult.

"Grow a thicker skin, Inuyasha." 

Kagome and Rin rose to their feet, watching as Sesshoumaru stalked away from Inuyasha and past them without so much as a word. Exhaling a small sigh of relief, Rin followed him into the house, leaving Kagome to wait as Inuyasha made his way back to her, a disheveled mass of scrapes, torn clothes, and a glowering expression.

"Inuyasha … I think we should leave," Kagome said tentatively as he inspected one of his slashed sleeves, glaring at it in consternation, as though it had somehow failed him by succumbing to one of Sesshoumaru's attacks.

"And why's that?" he asked of her.

"At this rate, you really are going to kill each other. Ashrem or not, I think it would be best if we separated you two."

"What are you babbling about?" Inuyasha said, looking at her as though she had just lost her mind. "I'm gonna go get some sleep and do it again tomorrow. I'm not leaving this place until I've wiped that smug look off his face."

************************************************************************************************************************

One would have thought that Rin would have been pleased with the deathly quiet that fell over the house the rest of that night, but as she lay in bed, she found that her brain would not shut down enough to allow her to sleep, disturbed by the obvious lack of noise. It was _too_ quiet out there. She had not heard a word from either of them in hours and that was causing her a new worry.

She turned her head and saw that Kagome was awake, too; listening with a suspicious expression on her face. "It's making me nervous," she admitted to Rin, sensing what the other girl was about to say. 

"I know. At least you can keep track of them when they're screaming at each other."

In one synchronized movement, both girls got to their feet and left the room, making their way through the house until they came upon two of the resident demons: Inuyasha and Jaken were seated cross-legged directly opposite each other, glaring with identical expressions of distrust.

"What are you staring at?" Inuyasha finally muttered.

"I am here to ensure that you do not try to steal something," Jaken replied contemptuously.

"_Steal_ something?" Inuyasha repeated incredulously. "This was my old man's house, moron. I don't have to _steal_ anything."

"_'Old man'_?!" Jaken exclaimed, appalled, his yellow eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. "Inutaisho-sama would be shamed to see what a disrespectful, uncouth urchin you have become!"

"I doubt _'Inutaisho-sama'_ would be overly cheered about all of his stuff being guarded by a groveling kiss-ass, either. Sesshoumaru shoulda stuffed you a long time ago, little frog man."

"I am a _toad_!" Jaken corrected him haughtily. 

"And you freely admit to that?"

"Stop antagonizing him, Inuyasha," Kagome said with a frown as she and Rin walked into the room.

"Antagonizing _him_?" Inuyasha asked, turning to her in amazement. He looked back at Jaken, a slow, evil grin crossing his face. "Heh. He's gonna be calling _me_ Inuyasha-sama by the end of this."

"Where's Sesshoumaru?" Rin asked, cutting off Jaken's intended response as she looked around to find that there was no sign of the demon lord.

"Probably out tormenting someone," Inuyasha said casually, resorting once again to his defiant stare-down with Jaken.

"Inuyasha, where is he?" Rin tried again, this time a little more exasperatedly. She was growing very tired of the constant jabs and jeering between the two brothers. In fact, she was beginning to wonder if they weren't _enjoying_ it, an outlet for decades of pent-up aggression toward one another.

"How should I know? I'm not his keeper. Some guy showed up, talked to him, and he took off; looked pretty pissed, actually. So unlike him," Inuyasha muttered sarcastically. 

"Do you think it has something to do with Ashrem?" Kagome wondered, glancing at Rin.

"I don't know. Jaken-sama?" she asked, turning her attention to the small youkai.

Jaken's eyes did not so much as blink or even leave Inuyasha's face. He just shrugged his lack of knowledge.

"I doubt it. There are levels to Sesshoumaru's irritation," Inuyasha informed them, sounding as though he was an experienced authority on each and every one. "He had that 'I'm about to kill someone' look, but it seemed more like a chore than the happy job it would be for him to dismember Ashrem."

_The northern youkai, then?_ Rin wondered silently, but decided not to voice her thoughts as she was uncertain whether Sesshoumaru would want Inuyasha to be aware of the problems he was having with them. This brought another idea to her, though, and she decided to seize on Sesshoumaru's absence. Rin stepped between Inuyasha and Jaken, ending their silent conflict of wills. She knelt down and looked Inuyasha in the eye. "Can I ask a favor of you, please?" she asked politely.

Inuyasha's expression became more than a little suspicious. "What is it?"

"Can you do your best not to fight with him when he returns? I know he sometimes says things that make you angry, but you do the same to him," she added quickly, not wanting to sound as though her loyalty was in question. "I thought it would be easier to ask this of you than of him."

"So you're saying that I'm the more reasonable one," Inuyasha deduced with a smirk.

"No. I'm saying that you're the one who's more open to…suggestion," Rin replied carefully.  

"Then you're telling me to back down."

"No, no. Just … don't take everything he says as a mortal offense?" she asked hopefully.

"He called my mother a whore," Inuyasha said flatly. "Do ya really think I'm just going to sit there and keep eating noodles when stuff like that is being tossed around?"

"That was a harsh thing to say," Rin agreed. "But you said something terrible about his mother, too. Kagome and I don't want to see either of you get hur---" Rin stopped speaking as a flash of dark light filled the room, dying out almost as quickly as it started. Both she and Inuyasha looked up at Kagome with matching expressions of astonishment. She was standing back from them, noticeably absent from the conversation, and staring into the Shikon no Tama.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said nervously, jumping to his feet.

"Can you see this?" she whispered, eyes wide as she stared into the flickering jewel.

Inuyasha peered into her open hand, Rin coming up alongside him to do the same. The shadowy images of buildings being engulfed by flames was the first picture that came through clearly. Dark figures ran to and fro, clearly in urgency, though no voices could be heard through the distance.  

"A village is being attacked," Inuyasha said, frowning down at the jewel as though it was purposefully being unhelpful by not informing them of where this was taking place.

A very clear image of a woman with long blue hair came into focus then. She was poised with a bow and arrow as if about to shoot something, her target off to the side and out of range of their view. Rin instantly recognized this individual as she watched the arrow fly toward its intended victim. It was the woman whose home she had shared for most of the last seven years. "Kameko!" Rin exclaimed.

"You know that woman?" Inuyasha asked in surprise.

"Yes. It's my village. We have to _go_!" Rin said fearfully.

"I'll go take care of it. Whatever's bothering them probably isn't that big of a deal," Inuyasha assured her. 

"You're wrong if you think you're going without me," Rin replied, hurrying off to get her bow and arrows. She returned seconds later with them in hand and saw, as she did, that the Shikon no Tama had reverted to its pure form. 

"I'm going, too, Inuyasha," Kagome stated as she dropped the jewel and allowed it to hang around her neck once more.

"Jaken-sama," Rin turned to the toad worriedly. "Go get Sesshoumaru, all right? Tell him where we've gone." She did not wait for his reply, or for Inuyasha and Kagome, as she ran outside to get Aun.

******************************************************************************************************************

When Sesshoumaru arrived at the village that had been settled along the shared border between the north and west, he found that a settlement that had existed since before his birth had been utterly destroyed. It was now little more than a flaming pile of wrecked timber and human remains. The messenger that had come to his home to warn him had spoken the truth. Eizan's army had ignored his warning.

He swept down amidst them, the smell of blood, smoke, and human corpses providing a shield for his scent. Keito, Eizan's middle son, looked up in surprise at Sesshoumaru's arrival, turning away from watching as his men burned the remainder of the village buildings and murdered the few survivors they found.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, so you decided to join us after all? How good of you, but, as you can see, we're mostly finished here."

Sesshoumaru's cold face turned to regard the destruction once more, noting the littering of maimed human bodies, old and young alike; men, women, children. Even the animals had not been spared. "I seem to remember telling you what would occur if you approached my border with this sort of action. Did your father approve this?"

"Of course."

"Good. That will make this much easier."

"Your warning does not apply in this case. I am still within our borders. I have a right to do with this village as I wish," Keito said smugly, appearing very calm.

Sesshoumaru smiled slightly, though it was anything but friendly. "Your right to this village ended at the northern half of it. That is where our border runs, Keito. Were you unaware? I am not surprised to see that you are poorly educated. It is unfortunate that you and your men will have to pay for your father's oversight."

Keito's face became very serious then and he looked around him to find that his soldiers had picked up on the rising confrontation and were coming to join him. "Ten against one, Sesshoumaru? Those aren't good odds," Keito said, confident that, if nothing else, the numbers would dissuade Sesshoumaru from an immediate conflict. "Are you really going to try to kill us?"

"Try?" Sesshoumaru repeated, as he pulled Toukijin. "How very optimistic of you, Keito."

************************************************************************************************************************

They arrived at Kameko's village to find utter chaos. Inuyasha had rushed ahead with Tetsusaiga in hand, leaving Kagome and Rin to go at a somewhat slower pace on Aun's back. It was a hellish scene, what could be glimpsed of it through the smoke and flames. This appeared to be a conjoined effort between several types of youkai, as they fought separately, but with a common purpose. It was like watching a nightmare, all of these horrible, blood-thirsty creatures murdering every living thing they came across, their backdrop a pitch black, starless sky and the reddish-gold illumination of burning structures. The screaming was nearly deafening, but that appeared to be the only difference between what they were witnessing in reality and what they had seen reflected from within the Shikon no Tama.

As soon as Aun touched down within the village, Rin leapt from his scaled back and sprinted toward Kameko's home, her main concern first being to locate Kisho. _Why is this happening?_ her brain questioned frantically as she ran, purposefully avoiding looking at the bodies that lay strewn in the road around her. _Why_ _are they being attacked again? _The sword was at Sesshoumaru's home. There was no reason for these demons to set upon the village as they were doing. As this thought finished itself, she was forced to duck quickly to avoid being crushed by a giant, flying tail. 

As she approached the center of the village, she was immeasurably relieved to find Kameko's recently rebuilt home still intact and untouched by fire, but a quick inspection of all the rooms showed no sign of either Kameko or Kisho; just a deafening silence and open doors that suggested they had left in a hurry. Heart pounding with fear for them, Rin ran back outside, her head turning back and forth, squinting through the inky smoke to try to catch a glimpse of them. _Where_ are _they?_ she wondered frantically. 

She could see Inuyasha nearby; he was expertly calling up the Kaze no Kizu to disintegrate a hissing demon that looked to be half-snake and half-bird. His red-clad form was easy to spot even amidst all the confusion as he moved quickly, efficiently, as one who was more than accustomed to this type of conflict. The demon exploded in a rain of guts, teeth, and talons, and Inuyasha moved on to his next victim. 

Sudden nervousness froze her. _What am I doing?_ She wondered. _This is insane…I've never been involved in a battle. _But it was her village. She would not leave it all to Inuyasha. Resolving to find Kameko and Kisho once the fight was ended, Rin took off toward the fray. She pulled her bow off of her shoulder as she ran, but was knocked slightly off-balance when she collided with someone who had been hurrying in the opposite direction, likely fleeing. She caught a quick glimpse of a male form, dark hair, and felt his hand reach out to snake around her arm, holding on to it for a moment until she righted herself. 

"Arigatou," she said quickly as he released her, allowing her to hurry off once more. Within moments, however, her steps faltered from a sprint to a standstill, as though her legs had decided to quit responding to her. She glanced back down at her arm, distracted by a sudden icy pressure that felt as though something was clamping down upon it, immobilizing it completely. Her heart slowed to a lax, thumping beat. _Wha__ t…?_ she wondered, disoriented, as she attempted to flex the painfully stiff appendage. 

A roar and a flash of heat brought her back to her senses, but she never saw what it was that had been meaning to vaporize her because she was pulled out of the way by a quickly-moving half-demon. Inuyasha spun her around to face him. 

"What's wrong?" he bellowed at her over the noise.

"Nothing," she found herself saying instantly.

"Then pay attention, dammit!"

She watched as he leapt back into the fight, destroying another demon with one swing of Tetsusaiga. Something spurred Rin into motion and she felt her hands reach for her bow once more, almost of their own accord. It barely felt as though these were her movements, so quickly did they fit the arrow to the string, as if she had done this in battle many times before. She had little time to wonder over it because she found herself suddenly aiming at a crow demon that was swooping down toward an elderly woman. Rin let the arrow fly. It sped through the air with perfect accuracy, firing up to a brilliant white as it shot through the crow's skull. The demon exploded into parts. 

Immensely satisfied, Rin ran back to join Aun and Kagome. 

*********************************************************************************************************************

It was on his return to his home, having made short work of Keito's pathetic soldiers, that Sesshoumaru found Jaken scuttling toward him as fast as his short legs could carry him. He had listened to only the first few words of the toad's quickly rambled explanation before figuring out what had happened. Barely believing that even Inuyasha would be so reckless, he sped off toward Kameko's village. His certainty that Kagome was indeed serving as Ashrem's puppet became even more pronounced, as this had been excellent timing. The bastard had been waiting for Sesshoumaru's inattention. And he would not forget that Eizan, either knowingly or not, had provided Ashrem with this window of opportunity. 

When he arrived, it was to find a scene similar to what he had just experienced of the slaughter inflicted by the northerners along the border. For a paranoid moment, he wondered if perhaps Eizan had orchestrated this attack as well, but dismissed that idea when he saw the youkai that were still wreaking their destruction, even as the few remaining human inhabitants tried to defend their homes. These were western youkai. Even so, he could not help but wonder at the timing of Eizan's own attack. Perhaps Ashrem had found himself another ally. 

Sesshoumaru located Kagome and Rin first; both girls were standing with their backs to Aun, firing off arrows with rapid accuracy. He watched for a moment as one of Rin's arrows completely dismembered one of the attacking demons, astonished at how much her skills had improved in so short a time. Then again, she had something at stake in this battle. Adrenaline could easily overcome skill in a situation such as this. 

Inuyasha was finishing up with another of his opponents as Sesshoumaru leapt into the fight, sword blazing. The demons disappeared even more rapidly upon his arrival and, within the short space of a few minutes, the last of them was cut down to slimy pieces that littered the ground. Though the screeching of the youkai had died with the last of them, the village was still filled with the sounds of crackling flames and the cries of humans.

Inuyasha stepped back from his work, putting away his sword … and was caught completely unprepared when Sesshoumaru stalked up to him and shoved a fist into his face.

"You are unbelievably stupid," Sesshoumaru seethed at him, as Inuyasha quickly picked himself back up from the ground.

"What the _hell_ was that for?!" Inuyasha yelled at him over the din.

"Does your brain function at all, hanyou? The Shikon no Tama warned you of this attack, correct? If your miko was not the one providing that insight, who do you think it was? Ashrem intended for you to come here tonight and you walked right into this battle like the foolish child that you are."

"Then I was just supposed to hang out at the house while this village was destroyed?"

"I don't give a damn what you do. Your mistake was bringing them with you," he said, sweeping his hand out to point at Rin and Kagome who were watching warily off to the side. He turned to speak to them. "Did anyone approach either of you?"

Rin and Kagome glanced at each other. "No, no one," Kagome answered with certainty. 

"Kagome and I have been fighting the entire time," Rin said. "There wasn't an opportunity for anyone to come near us."

Sesshoumaru stared at them for a moment before voicing his next suspicion. "Then he must have been testing his control over the jewel."

"You shouldn't be angry with Inuyasha," Rin told him. "We insisted on coming with him. He was going to take care of it on his own, but you can't have expected me to stay away from this."

Eyeing her with much exasperation, Sesshoumaru reached for Tenseiga and pulled it free from its resting place at his side. He held it up for her inspection, the shining metal reflecting the orange haze that was surrounding them. "I expected you, of all people, to know what this sword does," he told her in a cold, angry tone.   

"And how was I to know that you would use it?" she asked, her own voice coming out unexpectedly harsh, but she found that she did not feel guilty for snapping at him. For reasons she could not fully explain to herself, Rin felt very angry toward him. "I have to go find Kameko and Kisho," she finally said, avoiding looking at him as she started to walk off in an aimless direction.

"I know where they are," Sesshoumaru said, stopping her with the odd way he had spoken the words.

"Then can you point me in the right direction?"

"I don't think you should see them as they are. Remain here," he said, before turning and disappearing into the smoke. Rin watched him go, understanding the meaning behind his words. A shiver went up her spine as she tried not to imagine what it was that Sesshoumaru had seen. _He's going to fix it. Kisho will come running up any moment now… _

She turned and looked around her at the engulfed buildings, the pieces of demons scattered about, the bodies ….  Instantly she averted her eyes, not wanting to recognize any of them. 

"Rin-chan, maybe you can help me with the wounded?" Kagome suggested gently. "Inuyasha, why don't you help Sesshoumaru by locating all of the … bodies," she said hesitantly. Inuyasha nodded and moved away to begin the gruesome task of compiling the dead in one central location. 

Rin assisted Kagome in a daze, her hands mechanically moving from injury to injury, person to person, trying to put on a friendly smile for those that knew her. They were quickly joined by others who had escaped harm in the attack. She expected to feel relief that Sesshoumaru was moving about, reviving the dead, but it felt like a fist was clenched over her heart. Her senses felt dull, all save for an uncomfortable squeezing sensation in her right arm.

_He's not doing it because he wants to. If not for you, he would have left them to rot. He does not care. _

Rin's head came up slightly at this sudden whisper and she paused in wrapping an ugly bite wound on one of the town's merchants' arms. Her heart hardened as she heard these words, entirely certain of their truth. She felt that she should have been able to think of something to refute the statement, but could not …. A startling image of a young boy came to mind, eyes open and unseeing, caught in death, a gaping hole shoved through his chest. Rin closed her eyes and sat back on the ground, dropping the bottle of strange medication Kagome had been instructing her to use.

_This is what demons do, my dear. All of them. Even your precious Sesshoumaru._

"Rin?" Kagome questioned worriedly, watching her friend's face go sickly white.

"Riiiiiin!!" another voice cried, this one young and very familiar. Rin looked up suddenly, startled out of her morbid reverie. She turned hopefully to glance behind her, rising to her feet as Kisho came into focus, loping easily toward her, as though nothing had even touched him. He collided with her in an embrace, and Rin held onto him tightly, finding that her eyes were burning with tears. She tried to swallow back the choked feeling in her throat.

Kisho pulled back. "Do you _know_ what his sword does?! It's amazing! Look!" he exclaimed exuberantly, pointing to a large tear in his shirt, pulling it back so she could see the skin, whole and unmarred. "It's completely gone, no blood or anything!"

Rin smiled at him, repressing the horrible mental image she had just had. Only Kisho would be completely unaffected by his own death, so excited was he over Tenseiga's restorative properties. "Yes, I know what that sword does," she said, ruffling his hair affectionately as she looked up over his head to find Kameko and Sesshoumaru emerging from the haze at a slower pace.

"Arigatou, Sesshoumaru," she said to him, suddenly unable to recall the whispered words she had been unable to defend against just moments earlier. 

****************************************************************************************************************

The next morning was surreal for Rin. The dead were once more walking among the living. Carts were being piled with the remains of the defeated youkai to be disposed of in a safe, distant location. Again, the village was astir with men and women working to rebuild structures and cleaning away any sign of the attack. Strangely, everyone seemed to be in a buoyant mood, not at all in the state of gloom and depression one would expect of a village that had been very nearly slaughtered. 

Rin could understand why this was. These villagers felt a sense of immortality. For years now they had been defended by Sesshoumaru and, even when he had not been there to dispose of their enemies, he had quickly set about returning their dead to them, whole and sound once more. 

Never before had she witnessed Sesshoumaru in so much discomfort. He was practically being assaulted on all sides with gratitude from the villagers, each and every one of whom seemed intent upon expressing their personal thanks to him, some even bringing gifts. By noon, he was in a murderous mood, eyeing the villagers that approached him with glares that would have sent Jaken into hysterics. 

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Inuyasha questioned, looking up from his chore of cutting wood from a felled tree. "I thought you liked this kind of thing. Now you've got plenty of people who are thrilled to be kissing your ass. In fact, I bet I could probably get you a shrine built here. How 'bout it, Sesshoumaru? You're already sure you're a god, anyway. Might as well make it official." 

"Shut up," Sesshoumaru muttered, eyeing Inuyasha with an unstated death threat. Never before had he so regretted using that damned sword. 

"And look, here comes another one," Inuyasha went on, undaunted, nodding his dog-eared head toward a young woman who was approaching Sesshoumaru with a small child in her arms. "I bet she's coming to tell you she's naming her next one after you." He paused and affected a higher-pitched voice. "Ohhhhh, Sesshoumaru-_sama_, _thaaaank_you…"

"Do you _want_ to die?" Sesshoumaru asked, all seriousness as Inuyasha turned back to chopping wood off of the tree.

Sesshoumaru turned away from his brother as the young village woman stopped in front of him, smiling up into his scowling face. Her child took one look at him and instantly started wailing, sending his ears into agony with its wretched screeching.

"Oh, Sesshoumaru-sama, _thank_ you for ---" the woman began, but was cut short when he pointed an insistent finger at the baby.

"Take it _away_," he snarled at her, watching with satisfaction as she quickly bowed and hurried away from him.

"Not very god-like. That ugly face of yours is scaring the babies … " Inuyasha jeered and, an instant later, found himself welded into the ground once more by Sesshoumaru's fist

Rin turned away from watching this scene at the window, looking over at Kameko, who was busily preparing food for the workers. The hanyou woman was her same understated self, her brush with death having affected her as little as it had Kisho. The boy had been giving Sesshoumaru even more unwanted human interaction as Kisho had followed him about for most of the morning in a state of near-worship. It had been Rin who had finally taken pity on the demon lord and found some chores for Kisho to do in lieu of trailing after his reluctant hero. 

"You had a visitor while you were gone," Kameko finally stated, glancing up at Rin with a smile before turning back to stir the pot.

"Oh?" Rin asked curiously, moving away from the window to kneel near the fire. She resumed her own chore of cutting up the vegetables, grateful that her arm was now back to being fully-functional. The odd, constricted feeling had kept her awake for most of the night and now she was facing a long, busy day on very little sleep after what had been one of the most terrifying nights of her life. Her energy was at a low and she was not in a mood to talk, but kept that knowledge to herself. After all, Kameko had not seen her for over two months.

"Yes. Kohaku," Kameko replied to Rin's inquiry.

"Kohaku?" Rin repeated, glancing up in surprise. "Did he say why he came?"

"No, I think it was just to see you. He seems to be a very nice man. He promised to come back and try to see you again."

"How strange … he knows that I am with Sesshoumaru," Rin murmured, frowning lightly as she cut the cucumbers into small, neat slices.

"Maybe he thought you would have returned to me by now," Kameko said, sounding as though it was something she had expected to have happened as well. 

"Maybe," Rin said quietly, uncomfortable with the turn in the conversation. 

There was a long pause, and then Kameko asked, "Rin, why have you not come home?" 

"There are … some things I need to resolve," Rin answered noncommittally, unhappy that Kameko had broached the one subject she wished to avoid. She would not approve, and Rin's strange relationship with Sesshoumaru was not something she wanted to discuss at the moment. 

"Is there something between you and Sesshoumaru?" Kameko asked bluntly.

Rin closed her eyes, exhaling a sigh. It seemed her former guardian was intent on delving into all sorts of uncomfortable subjects. "No," she finally said with as much certainty as she could muster, then admitted, "I don't know."

"Has he spoken to you?"

"Yes."

"And what did he say?"

There was no way she was going to reveal the entire conversation. It was personal and private and no one else's business. Rin did not want to hear Kameko's thoughts on it, not until she had formed her own opinion. She was confused about Sesshoumaru's feelings and intentions, as well as her own. It was a situation that she did not want to think about at the moment. "He will allow me to stay with him," Rin replied succinctly.  

"For what purpose?" Kameko asked, losing all pretense of cooking as she whirled around to watch Rin speculatively. "I have known him for most of my life, Rin. There is no possibility that he will ever relent and make you his wife, if that is what you are hoping for. To his mind, you will never be at his level. You must understand this, and I know this sounds harsh, but you are a momentary distraction in his life. To his sense of time, it is as though you appeared only yesterday. Even if you spend the rest of your life with him, that will not change. What are fifty or sixty years to him? Almost meaningless. He is nearly three hundred years old, and do you know that he is still considered young? Do you see what I am saying? To a demon, even three centuries is not an excessive amount of time."

"I know that," Rin responded stiffly. "You're not saying anything I have not already considered."

"Rin," Kameko practically sighed the name. "He will be passing time with you on his way to a mate, a youkai that can give him a legitimate heir and form a true family with him. Do you want that to be your life?"

"Stop it," Rin finally ordered, the words coming out bitter and angry. She looked down in frustration at her handiwork; she had been paying little attention and now was rewarded with a pile of stringy, useless pieces. She moved them irritatedly to the side and began again, this time focusing more intently. 

Kameko shook her head and went on. "While you were with me, I did my best to avoid the subject of Sesshoumaru with you because I could see where it would lead. It was I who suggested to him that you would be better remaining here with me, instead of going back to him. I see now that I was correct in assuming how you would respond to him as an adult."

"You?" Rin asked in surprise, her hand stopping its precise movements as she looked once more at Kameko. "Then he did return for me?"

"Yes, but I sent him away. It was what was best for you."

"Do you know how sick I am of hearing that? It's amazing to me how everyone is so convinced that they know what direction my life is meant to take," Rin said fiercely, placing the knife down flat as she glared up at her former guardian.

"Rin …"

"My feelings for Sesshoumaru are my business, and mine alone. My decision whether or not to return here is also mine. I don't want to discuss it further," she stated, rising from her knees. 

Kameko watched as she moved to open the door, practically colliding with the demon they had been discussing on her way out. Sesshoumaru watched her silently as she swept past him, then turned to Kameko. He entered and closed the door solidly behind him. "The two of you speak very loudly," he informed her.

Kameko turned an angry, stormy expression on him, not caring that he had overheard their conversation. "You are going to break her heart, Sesshoumaru."

"It is her heart. She may do with it is as she wishes," he answered calmly, watching as Kameko bent to retrieve the vegetables Rin had been working on.

"You are older," Kameko accused, "far older than even myself and Rin put together. You have had a long life and I think you have lost sight of how precious time is to humans. Or, perhaps it is more accurate to say that you have never understood that to begin with." She stopped and made her voice less confrontational. "Rin is still very young, she only sees the moment now. She is caught up in her feelings for you. For that reason, it is you that needs to put a stop to this."

"I will do no such thing," he said.

"Sesshoumaru, when she is an old woman and she looks back on her life to find that she has nothing to show for it except an unchanging demon companion who is incapable of expressing love and affection, do you think she will not regret it?"

"And yet it appears that I am enough for her."

"Do something unselfish for once in your life." 

"Don't put the constraints of your human morality upon me," Sesshoumaru said coldly. "There is still time, Kameko. She has not come to her own decision yet. You still have an opportunity to convince her of all my evil qualities," he suggested with the barest hint of sarcasm.

Kameko sighed and lowered her tone, looking away from him as she tried to regain her composure. He was as _infuriating_ as ever. "I don't think you are evil. You are simply incapable of thinking in terms of a human."

"A fact for which I am grateful."

"A fact that makes me sad for Rin," Kameko replied before turning fully away from him.

***************************************************************************************************************

Much to Sesshoumaru's satisfaction, Rin agreed to leave the village that day, apparently as eager to escape the questioning Kameko as he was to retreat from the avalanche of human happiness he had inadvertently created. She was inordinately quiet, however, something that did not change even well into the evening.

After a silent dinner with Kagome and Inuyasha, she settled herself at a table, immediately fulfilling a promise she had made to Kisho to write him frequently. She wrote with sharp, deliberate marks, silently showing that something was bothering her.

Nearby, Sesshoumaru was quietly studying an old map that displayed the border between the northern and western territories. It was something he was about to pay very close attention to as he did not doubt that there would be more to come from Eizan once he received Sesshoumaru's message. Sesshoumaru was not overly bothered by the escalation in the conflict. It was one that had been long in coming. The damned northerners were becoming far too cocky for their own health.

He paused in his study, looking up briefly at the young woman that was curled up in a chair across the room, writing as fast and furiously as though she had not just said good-bye to the boy earlier that day. He could tell that something was bothering her, and was fairly certain it had something to do with the brief and uncharacteristically vocal argument she had had with Kameko. He had heard every word they had said, one of the advantages of having youkai hearing. Unfortunately, it also meant the bratty half-breed had heard every word as well. 

Almost as if summoned by his brother's irritated thoughts, Inuyasha entered the room, making Sesshoumaru certain that, despite all of the uninhabited rooms in the entire house, Inuyasha had come into this one for one purpose … and that was to start something. 

"Be quiet," Sesshoumaru warned before his brother could make the mistake of opening his big mouth.

"I didn't say anything, moron," Inuyasha snapped back.

"You were considering it."

Rin glanced up with a deep frown as the two demons began their bickering. The heavy anger that had been shadowing her since the end of the battle began to grow, knotting in her stomach. She clenched her writing instrument in her hand, glaring angrily at the disturbance.

"So you're a mind-reader now, eh?" Inuyasha sneered at Sesshoumaru.

"It takes no such ability to predict the slow-minded," Sesshoumaru answered tonelessly, not even bothering to look up from his map. 

"_Behave!_" Rin exclaimed suddenly, prompting both demons to glance over at her in stunned surprise. "I cannot tell you how tired I am of hearing this!" she said, gathering her things and storming from the room.

Inuyasha looked from Rin's retreating form to Sesshoumaru, who had gone silent as he watched her thoughtfully. He could not resist seizing on the moment. "Man, are you whipped," Inuyasha said smugly. 

Sesshoumaru turned an icy stare on him and spoke in a low, even tone. "So says the boy with the dog collar. Osuwari, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru replied mockingly. 

"Feh!" Inuyasha crowed as Sesshoumaru rose to follow Rin. "Doesn't work for you, _baaaaka_!"

****************************************************************************************************************

Sesshoumaru found Rin standing outside; her letter-writing had been put aside as she stared out at the forest, her long hair blowing in the evening breeze. A gaping hole stood where an unbroken tree-line had once been, thanks to the fight that had occurred between Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha on the day before. 

"Rin," he called, but she either did not hear or was distracted, because she did not even turn to look at him. "Rin."

She looked back at him then, her normally warm expression gone, replaced with an empty look. "Yes?"

"Do you have something you wish to say to me?" he asked curiously.

She blinked as her head suddenly cleared of a strange buzzing sound, and Sesshoumaru watched as a more normal expression fell into place. "No, not really," she said. "Forgive me for losing my temper. I didn't mean to snap at you and Inuyasha." She paused for a moment and then asked, "Where did you go last night? Inuyasha said there was a messenger…"

He nodded. "Eizan decided to test me and sent his people to attack a village along my border."

"And was it destroyed?"

"Yes, along with the ones who slaughtered it."

Feeling almost afraid to ask the question, Rin said, "And the villagers? Did you revive them?"

"No," he answered, as though the idea had not even crossed his mind.

"Why not?"

Sesshoumaru frowned, not liking this discussion. It would certainly not improve her mood, but he answered her honestly. "My possession of this sword does not obligate me to trail after the human population, waving it at them whenever they happen into their own deaths. A human dying is natural and necessary."

"Natural and necessary," Rin repeated slowly, her eyes darkening angrily. It was strange; part of her knew that his statement made sense. Humans did eventually have to die. They could not live forever. Yet, there was that same new anger within her, insistently burning the idea into her brain that it had not been necessary this time. They could have been saved.  

_He does not care. They are less than animals. Their existence is trivial to him, just as I told you._

Rin froze at the whispered sound, but pushed it away as Sesshoumaru spoke once more.

"Humans have a finite existence. There is a beginning and an end. I will not interfere with that."

"You did at Kameko's village," Rin reminded him. 

"My actions would not have been the same if you had not been involved."

Rin suddenly recalled another village from long ago, the one that had been her home from birth until the day it had also been destroyed, that time by a pack of wolves that had belonged to another youkai. "And what of the village I lived in as a child? You could have saved them…all of them."

"Yes, I could have," he admitted. 

"And you chose not to."

"It did not even occur to me at the time. I did not care about their deaths," he explained with little inflection.

"That is a cruel thing to say," Rin said accusingly. It was difficult listening to him say these things. She wanted him to give a good reason for his decisions, one that would dispel the awful thoughts that were flitting through her brain. 

"Cruel? It is honest. I would not have revived those people. You forget how poorly they treated you," he said, astonished to hear that she was apparently bitter over this bit of history.

"That doesn't matter," Rin replied vehemently. "They still did not deserve to die that way, and the same goes for the humans that lived in the village you walked away from last night. Their deaths were not natural; they were caught up in a territorial dispute between two demon lords. You are responsible for their deaths as much as Eizan. You had a way to correct it. It's shameful."

Sesshoumaru listened to her, finding that he did not at all like the idea of hearing her express shame over his actions. He had never encountered this with her before. "This anger of yours," he said slowly, "is it new or was it suppressed until now?"

"I don't know," she said, suddenly looking as though she was close to tears. What was this _horrible_ feeling? she wondered despairingly. It was as though something within her mind was trying to separate her from him, put distance between them in the form of an anger that had not been there before … _Where is this coming from?_ she thought. Even after the terrible things she had just said to him, he did not appear angry at all, and that made her feel even worse.  

He nodded slowly, looking as calm as ever. "Is there anything else?"

She shook her head, not trusting her voice to say anything else. She was horrible for placing that blame on him. He had not touched those villagers …. and he had restored those from her own village in order to save her that loss.  

"Perhaps these things will make your decision easier," he suggested quietly.

"No," she said suddenly, forcefully, as though saying this more to herself than to him. She reached out and clasped tightly onto his hand. "I don't think badly of you, Sesshoumaru. I don't. I shouldn't have said those things. I didn't mean them."

He glanced down at the hand that was entwined with his and then looked at her once more. "I have been this way for a very long time, Rin. It is unlikely that I will ever change. It is for you to decide what you can and cannot accept."

***********************************************************************************************************************88

**Wooooo****. Okay, Ashrem's got his claws into Rin. In case some of you didn't catch it, he was the guy that practically knocked her down on her way in to join the battle. Not sure how clear I made that, so I thought I would explain. That's also why she's developing quite the double personality. Ashrem's working on her. ;)**

**To the reviewers:**

**_Sesshoumaru'sFirefly_****_:_ Wow, "kick-ass"! I like that … lol! *sigh* … I understand about the project. It's so easy to procrastinate with school. There are so many better things to do. ;)**

**_Ourania_****_:_ lol! It cracked me up, too, actually, but really that's what he is. Alpha Male is the "Top Dog". I've witnessed just this sort of fight for dominance with my own cats and dogs, so applying it to Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru was very easy. ;) My vacation will definitely allow me to update some more. I've warned my beta reader to be on the lookout for another chapter hopefully by the end of the week. *crosses fingers* About Rin kicking Elif's butt, it's going to come very close to that. As you can see by what happened toward the end of this chapter, Ashrem is making Rin into a very angry girl!**

**_New Fan:_ Thanks! :D I love Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's interaction with each other. What's even funnier is watching it progress through the series …. they've gone from trying to kill each other to just settling for beating up on each other. It's an interesting relationship. Sesshoumaru has this whole thing about how he doesn't like Inuyasha and loves beating on him … but no one else is allowed to kill him. It's pretty funny. Sounds like two normal brothers to me. ;) And you will definitely see a few chapters from now how much he values Rin. :D **

**_Angel64:_ Thanks, that was the part I was most worried about, but everyone seems okay with it, so I'll leave it alone. ;)**

**_Andraste_****_:_ Lucky! I guess you live in ****Japan**** then, huh? I'm dying to see that movie … really, it's going to kill me waiting for it. Thanks for the review!**

**_Wingless Angel:_ Thank you very much! Wow …"hauntingly beautiful". What a nice compliment. And I am purposefully doing that with Sesshoumaru! I want his motives to not be too obvious … that's how he is on the show, ya know? It's hard to guess a lot of the time why he's doing something. It makes him interesting. **

**_Ryuki_****_*Starr:_ Yeah, I was sad about Midoriko, too, but there was no way to avoid that ending. And thanks very much. It's tough coming up with a plot, because I tend to confuse myself. :P I know that sounds stupid, but it's true. I reread this thing recently, and I can see where I sort of leapt off my outline … oh, well, at least it hasn't become a horrible wreck yet. ;) Still, it's amazing what you notice when you reread. For one thing, my first few chapters are amazingly short compared to the ones I do now. Some scenes make me cringe. Can't wait for the rewrite. I'd like to add some scenes in the first few chapters to make them longer …**

**_Blaise_****_:_ lol! You can believe however you want to believe. This is just my own little thing … only Takahashi knows for certain about any of it. And, no, I can definitely say I didn't write it. It makes me want to go read it so I can change my dialogue, though, if that's what sounds the same. ;)**

**_NickNova_****_:_ That is so nice of you to say! LOL! Glad you're enjoying the Sesshoumaru/Inuyasha bits … they were very fun to write. I could just imagine that being a dinner-stopping conversation. I pretty much assume that any conversation between those two is going to end badly. ;) **

**_Silvermuse89:_ Thank you very much! Yeah, there's going to be a sequel, but I'm going to have to take some time off after this one in order to think up the rest of the plot. It's always good to have one of those set out before starting a story. ;) Glad you thought it was funny. I'll admit I cracked myself up when I was trying to think up some horrible things for them to say to each other. **


	17. Exposed

The tree limb swayed slightly in the wind, waking a drowsy Inuyasha. He opened one eye to peer at the sky and saw that there was now more blue than black. It was nearly morning. He shifted his position to dislodge a broken limb from his back. Damn. Even the trees in this place were inhospitable. He was counting the minutes until he could escape this mausoleum his brother called home. 

He supposed he could go up to the house, since Sesshoumaru was gone again, hopefully for the entire day this time. Inuyasha wondered if he should be doing more in locating this Ashrem guy, but he'd be damned before he'd offer his help to Sesshoumaru. That old dog was going to have to come to him. 

Inuyasha wasn't entirely certain that his brother's claim about this enemy of his was even valid. Kagome had not been acting strangely, no more so than usual, at least. Trying the same plan this time around would be stupid for Ashrem to do, but Sesshoumaru, paranoid idiot that he was, seemed so sure that that was exactly what was going to happen. Sesshoumaru's problem (well, one of many) was that he was always so certain of how completely stupid everyone else was. 

He wanted to leave, but there was one mistake Ashrem had made that Inuyasha was going to ensure he paid for; he had made a bad decision when he had chosen to involve Kagome. So far the guy hadn't done anything to hurt her, but even Inuyasha believed in the rumors of his connection with the Shikon no Tama. He didn't appreciate the near heart attack he got every time that wretched necklace started going off like an alarm.

Slight movements near the house prompted him to turn his head slightly, watching as Rin wandered outside. Now there was a girl with some developing issues. She was a good kid, but something was eating at her and Inuyasha couldn't blame her. How she had developed such a weird romantic idea about his brother, he didn't have a clue. Frankly, it was revolting; not because it was a demon and a human, but because it was _Sesshoumaru_ and a human. Or, for that matter, Sesshoumaru and anyone else. There was something inherently wrong with that jerk having any sort of relationship with anybody. He was incapable. Inuyasha got the idea he was watching the verification of that right under his nose.

He had been shocked when he had overheard Rin's conversation with her old guardian through the walls of the house. Inuyasha had always figured that Sesshoumaru had let Rin trail after him all the time just because she was a convenient extra slave. Now, though, it looked like Sesshoumaru had actually developed some sort of bizarre soft spot for the girl. It was creepy beyond words, and it clearly wasn't leading to good things for her. She'd been moping around the house for days, though Inuyasha could appreciate some of the things she had been saying to Sesshoumaru lately. It was pleasant to have those statements come from someone else's mouth, someone who wouldn't be decked for letting him hear about what a jackass he's always been. 

The poor girl was in for a rough time if she thought that crush of hers was going to go anywhere. Inuyasha was as sure of that as he was that Sesshoumaru's evil side had gone into hibernation for her benefit. Man, was she going to be in for a surprise when it reared its ugly head again.

*******************************************************************************************************************

Feeling exhausted and heavy, as though someone had just stacked a pile of rocks between her shoulder blades, Rin knelt next to the pond, staring into the water. That persistent whispery, almost ringing sound was back, circling between her ear drums like the endless beating of a gong. 

She had been woken from sleep again by a dream she could not remember. Only the lingering feeling of horror had remained, which had forced her from bed very early, an attempt to escape something that seemed to follow her even outside. _I'm losing my mind_, she thought without much feeling as she gazed blankly into the watery depths in front of her. 

She had gone from being thrilled and content at the simple prospect of remaining with Sesshoumaru, to nervous and anxious whenever he came near her. Every time she looked at him now, some horrible thought or image crossed her mind. Things had changed rapidly over the past few days, almost as though her head and heart were at war, each one trying to yell over the other in order to get her attention. It crushed her to know that he was very aware of how much status he had lost with her. She'd made that vocally evident, having spent the last few days snipping at him with sharp words before she even realized she was saying them. He had yet to lose his temper with her, but even the unflappable Sesshoumaru had been shocked on several occasions by her bitter outbursts.

To make her even more certain that her grasp on sanity was lessening, she knew without doubt that, even with all this circling in her mind, she still adored him more than anything. 

_You are not losing your mind, Rin, you are regaining it. His powers of persuasion are very strong, it is those that you are responding to, not any sort of true love for him, _came the feathery, disembodied voice

_That's not so …._

_He shields his true nature from you. Hasn't Inuyasha tried to tell you before? Do you not think his own brother would know him better than you?_

_He doesn't know him … not really …._

_Doesn't he? Have you not noticed that you appear to be his only ally? It seems more accurate to say that you have been fooled, Rin. Even his own father recognized him for what he was. Why do you think Inutaisho went to the trouble of putting that barrier around Tetsusaiga? It was to prevent Sesshoumaru from taking it from Inuyasha. That sword was meant as protection for Inuyasha against the brother who has tried to kill him on numerous occasions, who still wants him dead. _

Rin sighed. She was weary of these tales. They constantly hovered around her, ate at her. She would do anything for one peaceful night of sleep … 

_The sword, Rin.__ Go get it._

_Sword?___

_Midoriko's sword.__ Go on. _

_No, I promised that I would leave it alone._

_He wants to keep you helpless, defenseless. You remember the power that sword granted you, don't you? If you take it, you can be free of him, of his influence; you can return to your dear Kameko and Kisho and protect your village for the rest of your life. Don't you owe it to them after all they have done for you? _

This made perfect sense. Of course that was what she should do. Seven years of care from Kameko had to mean more than a pointless, unreciprocated devotion to a demon whose life would go on as it was whether she was there or not. _A momentary distraction._ That was what Kameko had called her. She did not want to be that.

With the feeling that she was moving slowly, languidly, as though underwater, Rin got back to her feet and returned to the house, not toward the entrance but in the direction of his room.

When she came to the screen, she shoved it lightly aside, slipping off her sandals before stepping in out of the cool morning. He was not there, as she had known he would not be. She moved without thought to the wall that held Midoriko's sword; the worn leather on the hilt speaking silently of the vast amount of use it had been to the long-dead exterminator. 

That same desire to hold it came back to her full force, an intangible yet unavoidable need to grasp it again. But even as she watched it with a feeling akin to desperation, something inside of her held her back, kept her from reaching her hand out to take it. It was then that the whisper returned…

_You are tired, Rin._

_Yes_, she thought, feeling even more of her energy melt away.

_I will take care of this …_

_***********************************************************************************************************************_

For a human, Ashrem's ability to pull a disappearing act was unparalleled. He knew how to evade the tracking senses of a youkai, and this was something Sesshoumaru was furious at himself for being unable to overcome. To have that scrap piece of refuse still wandering around despite his efforts was an insult. He had spent the night pacing the outskirts of Kameko's village, his eyes and nose alert for any sight or scent that could have anything to do with the man. There was nothing, yet Sesshoumaru would not believe that Ashrem had staged such an event without a distinct purpose. He was certain that Ashrem had been behind the attempted massacre of that village. What unnerved him most of all, was that Sesshoumaru could not see what had been gained from it. 

He had been watching Kagome intently ever since she had arrived, looking for signs of anything like what Midoriko had exhibited in the days before her death. There was nothing. Beyond her already well-established annoying traits and habits (including an exasperating penchant for speaking too often), Kagome was not displaying any extraordinary behavior, though she had registered a very loud complaint the day before, accusing him of "putting her under a microscope." Sesshoumaru had no idea what that statement was supposed to mean, but did take it that she was not pleased with his scrutiny. He had been quick to remind her that it would have simplified things very much if he had killed her and thwarted Ashrem's entire plan from the very beginning. That had shut the girl up, but, of course, it had set off her dim-witted guard dog. The hanyou had immediately risen to a conflict, one that was ended before it began by her strange command and the assistance of that beaded necklace. Inuyasha was nothing short of an embarrassment.

As he dropped down toward the house, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that the door to his room had been pushed aside. This diverted his course and he moved to investigate, leaping soundlessly through the opening. 

Rin was standing in the center of the room, hands slack at her sides, staring ahead of her, as though waiting for something. His arrival sparked movement from her; she turned her head slowly, looking at him as though she had never seen him before.

"Rin?" he questioned. There was something about that odd expression … something he did not like…

"I'm returning to Kameko tomorrow," she stated without preamble, her voice coming out slow and stilted. 

He was not surprised to hear this, had been expecting it. She had become very unhappy over the last several days. Sesshoumaru attributed this to the fact that she had come to a conclusion about what she thought of him, one she had reached with no small amount of assistance from the hanyou Kameko, and, likely, Inuyasha. He was obviously not what she had believed him to be. He could not deny that, either. The child Rin had rarely witnessed anything more than his mild, calm demeanor, as he had often sent her away from the conflicts that had come about during the years he had spent hunting for Naraku. She had been too young to see him for what he was, so enamored had she been with what she had so childishly concluded about the values and characteristics of "Sesshoumaru-sama". The adult Rin was witnessing all the variations of his personality, many of which directly contradicted what she had known of him before, and there was much she did not like, something she had been excessively vocal about as of late.  

"I will take you back whenever you wish," he agreed. It bothered him to see this separation come about on these terms, but he would not attempt to sway her from her decision.

"Inuyasha was correct. There was so much I didn't know." Her blank expression became accusing then. "I feel like such a fool now, defending you as I've done. You frighten me, Sesshoumaru. Only a callous heart would abandon a baby brother to an orphaned existence, to live as a despised outcast, not human, not demon. You have no right to hate him."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as he watched her face, listened to her speech. He supposed she was speaking from the heart of one who knew something of what such a life entailed. "You seem to know a lot about a past that I've never discussed with you."

"Purposefully, I would imagine," she said, sounding contemptuous as she turned a glare on him. "The great Lord Sesshoumaru would not want to label himself a hypocrite, now would he? And what were the other things you told me you hated most about humans? The violence they incite? The misery they bring? From what I have heard, you have inflicted more than your share of all of those things."

His head came up at the accusation of hypocrisy. "You've been speaking to Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru assumed. He had no idea of what bitterness Inuyasha held over Sesshoumaru's decision to leave him with the humans, but could say that he was surprised that the hanyou would discuss such a subject with Rin. 

"I've spoken to many people, or, rather, many people have gone out of their way to warn me of you." She shook her head slowly, as though barely believing how stupid she had been. "Is that why you let me follow you all those years ago? Did you feel guilt over another orphaned child, one that you shunned completely? Or are you capable of such a _human_ emotion?"

What _was_ this? Sesshoumaru wondered, frowning. This was not at all like Rin. At this thought he took a step closer to her, staring intently into the dark, empty, soulless eyes that glared back at him, looking as close to hateful as he had ever seen them. _This is not Rin_, he repeated silently, the muscles in his neck clenching angrily as he kept his mouth shut, wanting nothing more than to unleash a stream of foul obscenities at the creature that was staring back at him.

_I know you, you bastard. I know who you are_, he thought viciously. _You've finally shown yourself.  _

"You've had your say," Sesshoumaru finally said, keeping his voice cool and composed as he took a step away from her. "I will return you in the morning." 

He followed her out of the room, watching her retreating form for a moment before he moved back inside and grasped Midoriko's sword, pulling it quickly off of its bracket. Mind seething with thoughts of the death he would deal to that disgusting human filth, Sesshoumaru went back outside. It took him scant seconds to locate his brother. Inuyasha was lounging lazily in a tree, bare feet dangling toward the ground.

"Get down," Sesshoumaru barked at him.

Inuyasha opened his eyes slightly, turned his head to find Sesshoumaru standing at the base of the tree. "Shut up. I'm sleeping."

Not bothering to waste any more words on the hanyou, Sesshoumaru leapt easily and grasped onto one of Inuyasha's ankles, hauling him bodily out of the tree. Inuyasha crashed to the ground with a loud _thud_ and no shortage of cursing.

"Does that bad mood of yours ever improve?" Inuyasha raged as he spat out a mouthful of dirt. 

"I don't have time to waste on you. Take this sword and keep it with you," Sesshoumaru said tersely, thrusting the hilt-end toward Inuyasha. 

"When am I gonna get it through that thick skull of yours that you're not my master? If you're looking to give orders to someone, I think Jaken is in the house licking your floors clean."

"Jaken is an imbecile. I will not trust him with this."

"Eh? And I'm suddenly competent?"

"_You_ are all that is available," Sesshoumaru said angrily. "Take it, damn you."

"You're really riled up about something, aren't you?" Inuyasha said, folding his arms over his chest. "Feeling nervous about that Ashrem guy? Tell me he's coming, because I'm about to die from the boredom of this place."

"Boredom will not have a chance to claim your life if you don't take this sword, Inuyasha. I will slay you myself if you let it out of your sight," Sesshoumaru snarled at him.

Inuyasha frowned. Something was definitely going on here. Sesshoumaru had never exactly been a laid-back kind of guy, but he was radiating a fury that caught even Inuyasha's attention. "Yeah," Inuyasha finally said, reaching out to take the sword. "I've got it. It's not going anywhere."

"No one is to touch it."

"No one will touch it, I swear …. Hey---" he called suddenly, halting Sesshoumaru in his attempt to return to the house. "Does this have something to do with Kagome?" Inuyasha asked seriously.

"No," Sesshoumaru replied, looking very much to Inuyasha like he was timed to explode. "I was wrong about the level of her involvement."

Inuyasha blinked as his brother walked away_. Did he just say that he was_ wrong_? _Tightening his hand around Midoriko's sword, Inuyasha's gut instincts told him that something very bad was about to happen.

***************************************************************************************************************

Jaken looked up as his master entered the room, appearing vengeful. For a moment, the retainer wondered in panic if he had done something to instigate this obvious, unexpressed malice, which was why he winced and went into a huddle, fully anticipating a blow for some yet unknown grievance.

Instead, Sesshoumaru swept past him with barely a glance, only opening his mouth to ask, "Where is she?"

"She? The miko?"

"No, fool. Rin."

"Ah," Jaken said, rising out of his hesitant crouch. "She went to practice. She left not long ago with the bow you granted her. That pathetic child; as though she has any hope of ever becoming useful with tha---" He stopped as Sesshoumaru went out the back of the house, heading in the direction of the forest. Whatever Rin had done, Jaken was glad he was not in her place. He recognized this mood of Sesshoumaru's and it was not one that was conducive to long life or good health. 

******************************************************************************************************************

_Pull._

_Aim.___

_Twang._

_Thump._

Rin looked on as her arrow embedded itself securely into the center of the tree trunk, not even pausing to admire her work before reaching back and pulling another. Skillfully and with barely a pause, she pulled the arrow back and let it go, sending it whizzing through the still, early-morning air to split her previous arrow right down the middle, creating a small shower of shaved wood and splinters.

She felt completely incapable of thought. A steady emptiness was in her head, her heart, manifesting itself in her slack expression and dark, blank eyes. Something in the back of her mind was vaguely surprised. Normally she enjoyed this, the quiet solitude of practicing this new skill, ensconced by natural surroundings, just the accomplishment of improving something. 

Now, though, there was nothing. 

_Thump._

No, that was not exactly so. There _was_ something. It was steadily gaining strength, building from a subtle tug to an insistent pull. It became more and more difficult to ignore, began intruding on this comfortable void of thoughtless action. 

_His suspicion grows. Now will be our best available chance, before his assumption becomes certainty. _

She ignored the whisper. Pulled back an arrow. Released.

_Thump._

Another arrow split down the middle. The gnarled tree trunk looked as though it had sprouted some strange wooden flower, the shaft of each arrow halved open by the one that followed it to create a bizarre petal effect

_You are poisonous, _she thought with a sudden, startling moment of clarity, but that freedom was quickly shut down by a heavy pressure in her skull.

_Ah, do not fight me, Rin. We were doing so well…_

Rin was distracted from her internal conversation when she felt the weight of a malicious gaze settle on her. She turned her head to the side and watched as a familiar, unwelcome form approached from the overgrowth of the woods, a violet glare fixated on her with the menace of a beast stalking its dinner. 

_Elif_, Rin thought the name, a surge of hatred flowing through her veins as the female dog demon sauntered lazily toward her, looking carelessly gorgeous, as always. Rin's hand tightened on her bow as she turned.

_You hate this one, do you? We can make her the first, Rin…_

"Trying to make yourself useful, human girl?" Elif asked, one perfect eyebrow arched as she studied Rin with the interest of the eternally bored. 

"Leave," Rin warned, not entirely certain that she wanted to silence the deadly whisper that circled within her ears.

"You say that almost as though you have the authority to issue such an order," Elif said with a short, amused laugh. "It seems Sesshoumaru has allowed you to overvalue your worth."

"I will not tell you again," Rin said stiffly, her face so cold and hard it was an effort to make her lips move. _Oh, how she wanted to kill that bitch…_

_You have the means. I have provided you the power. Fulfill your desire, Rin, it is within your abilities now._

"It also appears," Elif said softly, dangerously, as she stalked closer to Rin, "that you place much faith in his protection. Too much, I would warrant, as he is nowhere nearby and it would be but a simple action for me to reach out and snap your neck."

"He despises you," Rin found herself saying coldly, but just the act of saying the words brought a great feeling of satisfaction to her heart. "You have no chance of becoming anything to him. Ask him, he will tell you."

Drawing herself up to her full height, Elif fixed Rin with a look of loathing. "Ah, I see. You had hoped to attain the position yourself. How embarrassing for you. Is that why you are so angry today? Did he knock you back down to your level?" She gave another pleased laugh. "Oh, that would have been quite the entertaining conversation to witness. I've arrived too late."

Elif's smug smile faded when Rin's hands pulled her bow up to aim an arrow at her face. The demon's eyes scrutinized the bone-crafted weapon for a moment before she said, "I recognize that bow. Your filthy hands have no right to touch it."  

She took another step toward Rin.

_Release it._

In one brief instant, Elif sprang at her and Rin released the arrow. It hurtled toward the much-detested dog demon, but its course, as well as Elif's forward motion, was interrupted. A long, white-sleeved arm reached out and plucked the arrow from the air, snapping it with barely a twitch of a finger. Sesshoumaru was much less subtle with Elif, whom he shoved roughly backward, setting the woman less-than-gracefully on her rear. Elif rose from her indignity, her fierce purple eyes darkening to a feral black as she looked from her intended target to the being that had interceded.

"I am entirely within my rights to slit her throat, Sesshoumaru. Once she is rotting in the ground, perhaps you will regain your senses."

Rin looked on hatefully, not even hearing their exchanged words for the hard thumping of her heart and the sounds of the other voice in her head. This time, though, the whisper was not preaching death, but restraint, and it was _he_ who stayed her hand from another attempt at Elif's life. 

_I understand your anger. That arrow would have connected and brought her down before she could have touched you. It was he who interfered. Are you so certain of his lack of interest in her? _

Rin looked on voicelessly at the pair of demons, at how closely they stood together, Sesshoumaru's back to her. Elif said something to him and sent a poisonous glare her way. He paused and looked over his shoulder at her, coldly detached. She did not hear what he said to her, not over the tornadic roar inside her ears, but did understand the motion of his hand. He was dismissing her back to the house. With an unsteady backward step, Rin shouldered her bow, returned his cool, emotionless stare, and retreated into the forest.

Sesshoumaru watched her disappear through the hanging leaves, berating himself for his lack of attention. He had assumed the anger and bitterness toward him had been honest, a repercussion of her realizing his limited ability to return her feelings. He had always had difficulty understanding her; she was as different from him as there was the capability of being. Even as a small child, she had expressed herself with the words and actions of one who was soft-hearted and forgiving. It was ridiculous how easy it had been for him to assume that these emotions of hate, malice, and disdain she had recently begun putting forth, emotions that were more familiar to his own heart and ill-temper, had been real, not inserted there by the insidious plotting of another. He should have recognized them for what they were sooner. They were how _he_ would have reacted in her place. They were not Rin. 

The thought of Ashrem's leering, gloating face brought out a festering, black anger, one that he quickly turned on Elif. "What do you want? And make it quick, or so help me I will finish the job she began."

Elif pulled back from him. "She is marked for death, Sesshoumaru. I will not let that go unchallenged."

"You will let it go or I will kill you where you stand. I have no preference," he snapped back. "_What_ did you come here for?"

"You nearly killed my brother," she said, her expression petulant.

"I would have finished the job had I not required a messenger. I am disappointed to hear that he did not drop dead after delivering it."

Her eyes narrowed into a glare. "We received it. My father will not forget this, your gross overreaction to a simple mistake, a misunderstanding."

"A convenient one. Of all the villages within his domain, he chose to begin with that one. I see the motives behind that, Elif, and I hope you are correct in saying that he will not forget. I thought hearing about it from your mangled brother would make the point quite nicely." Sesshoumaru took a moment to enjoy the look of fury on her face before adding, "And tell your father that I have my own growing list of grievances that will not be put aside. He will have to answer for them. If he continues to choose to hide behind his children, I have no qualms against dealing with you each in turn."

A small, enigmatic smile fell across her lips then. "Will you kill me now?"

"If I intended to kill you now, I would not have just wasted all of those words on ears that would be unable to repeat them."

"And next time?" she questioned curiously. "It saddens me to hear you so at odds with my family. I have known you for so very many years, Sesshoumaru. I remember a time when we were even friends. Do you recall? Once, you would have been glad to see me."

"If you return here, you will force my hand," Sesshoumaru warned.

"Could you so easily end the life of someone you once called friend?" she asked, softening her expression. "Particularly one who feels as strongly about you as I do?"

"_Yes_. Leave."

And it was then that his ears picked up the cry of a frightened, high-pitched voice screaming his brother's name. The sound instantly became mingled with the scent and sickening feeling of a rapidly building purifying energy, pent up and ready to expend itself. Without further word to an equally astonished Elif, Sesshoumaru streaked back through the woods.

By the time he exited into the clearing that contained the house, he was becoming increasingly aware of that familiar feeling of thousands of miniscule teeth biting at his insides. His eyes locked on Rin who was standing in front of the house holding Midoriko's sword, the blade glowing with a white-hot, pulsating light.

The hanyou, in turn, was standing not far from her, clutching Tetsusaiga, looking hesitant as to what to do. He sensed Sesshoumaru's arrival and looked back at him, as though for direction. 

Fully aware of what was about to happen, and very mindful of that day two hundred years ago when another young woman had annihilated a collected assemblage of demons, Sesshoumaru shot toward Rin. Her arm moved with youkai-like reflex and the sword came crashing down, igniting a massive wave of purifying energy that rolled outward like a tsunami. Within the space of a thought, Sesshoumaru recognized this as being entirely capable of delivering a killing blow to both of the demons in the clearing and diverted his course. 

Tenseiga gave an insistent thump of alarm against his thigh as Sesshoumaru collided with the slower-moving Inuyasha. The roiling edges of the purifying wave struck at them and Sesshoumaru wondered if, in fact, _he_ had been too slow this time. There was a feeling of molten lava washing over skin, accompanied by an agonized exclamation of pain. He did not have time to process whether it had been Inuyasha's or his own before the roar died into an oblivious silence.

********************************************************************************************************************

When she emerged from the forest after her encounter with Elif, Rin walked purposefully toward the house, her mind whirling with a carousel of thoughts. She paused for a moment to look up at a tall tree. Inuyasha was gazing down at her, his golden eyes curious, but it was the weapon held casually in his hands that locked her sight. Midoriko's sword.

"What was all that noise about?"

"Sesshoumaru's taking care of it," Rin said carefully, willing him not to become overly-interested in the matter.

He said nothing else, but she could feel his eyes on her as she walked the rest of the way to the house and up the ancient wooden stairs. She swept past a chattering Jaken, ignoring him completely until he became offended enough to stalk off in a huff.

Without even having to give direction to her movements, Rin's hand reached out toward the wall, pulling down a vicious-looking, double-bladed weapon as she passed. Her feet continued to pace soundlessly down the hallway until she came to the door of her room. Silently, stealthily, she pushed the heavy wooden door open enough to slip inside. Her gaze immediately fell on Kagome, still sound asleep, the Shikon no Tama glittering beckoningly from around her neck.

For a moment, as she looked down at her friend's face, Rin experienced hesitation, a moment that was quickly overridden as her arm was thrust outward, placing the curved blade of the stolen sword against Kagome's throat. Instantly, the girl's eyes flew open. Her instincts were sound enough to warn her not to try to move as the weight of steel pressed against her skin.

"Rin," she gasped in astonishment, all sign of sleepiness gone from her face as she looked up at the calmly detached expression of her assailant. A strange, pointed blue mark was emblazoned on the skin of the girl's forearm, the hand that held the weapon. 

"Give me the Shikon no Tama, Kagome," Rin advised in a voice Kagome barely recognized. 

Kagome hesitated, her mind frantically weighing her options. The blade pressed even harder against her neck, making her afraid to so much as swallow.

"Kagome, _please_," Rin pleaded in a more normal voice, sounding anxious. 

Carefully, with slow movements, Kagome pulled the chain from around her neck and extended it toward Rin. Once the jewel was held snugly within the palm of her hand, Rin backed away from Kagome and disappeared down the hallway.

Kagome rose instantly to her feet, reaching for her bow and arrows before tearing off after Rin. She found the younger girl in the foyer, staring at the Shikon no Tama with a triumphant expression that looked nothing like the Rin Kagome knew. Wordlessly, she extended the hand that held the jewel and it flared up without hesitation, doubling in size within the blink of an eye. 

Kagome could feel its powers building, like a physical thing that was growing and expanding until it filled the room. "Rin," she began with a hesitant step toward the girl, but stopped her forward movement when the jewel gave a violent lurch.

In a tree outside, Inuyasha looked up at this strange, foreboding feeling. Almost instantly his senses picked up on a threat…and then Midoriko's sword was wrenched from his hands with an unbelievable strength, enough to send him toppling out of the tree. He landed in a crouch and looked up to see the massive doors to the house fly open. 

Rin stepped forward, the Shikon no Tama, now a whirling ball of pulsing light, held securely in one hand as she reached up and pulled the projectile that was Midoriko's sword from the air.

Kagome, recognizing the weapon that was now being held in Rin's possession, cast a terrified look in Inuyasha's direction, her mind suddenly filled with the story Sesshoumaru had told them, of the cave that had held the eternally petrified remains of that vast horde of youkai…

"Inuyashaaaaaa!" Kagome called.

_Ashrem's made his move_, Inuyasha thought grimly, his hand moving to pull Tetsusaiga free of its sheath as Rin walked sedately down the stairs. _And it was right underneath our noses._ Tetsusaiga transformed, though Inuyasha had no clear idea as to what to do in this situation. He could not attack her and he could not approach her. He recognized what was building up around him and it was distinctly uncomfortable. 

Blurred movement out of the corner of his eye prompted him to turn his head to find Sesshoumaru entering the clearing, looking wrathful. This brief moment of inattention was what instigated Rin to strike. The sword rose and came down within the amount of time it took Inuyasha to turn back to face her. 

A wall of energy sped outward in a circular arc, reminding him strongly of what had been expelled from the jewel the day he had battled Naraku's horde outside of Kaede's village. This time, however, it was far more powerful … and not within Kagome's grasp to halt.

Inuyasha moved to leap out of the way just as something crashed into his chest with the force of an avalanche. An instant later, the purifying energy met him.

_**********************************************************************************************************************************_

Ashrem looked out on the morning sun as it dragged dawn along behind it, washing over the natural surroundings with a warm glow. A brilliant, cerulean sky was revealing itself. Those damned storms had finally moved on. It was going to be a _lovely_ day.  
  


He had just experienced one of the most satisfying moments of his life. Though he was fairly certain he had not succeeded in killing Sesshoumaru, surely he had caused him some damage; at least enough to allow for a nice headstart for Rin, who was on her way now, snugly in the clutches of that beautiful jewel, being brought to him with a haste that he himself was directing.

It had been very rewarding, stealing the girl right out from under the dog's nose. He had hoped to have a few more days to gain a better grip on Rin before instructing her to do his bidding, or rather, shoving her aside so that he could take care of it on his own. Unfortunately, Sesshoumaru was quite intelligent and very aware of his surroundings. It had not taken long for the veil of suspicion to fall across his face, something Ashrem had recognized. 

It would have been easier to keep his connection with Rin hidden for a longer period of time if the girl hadn't been so … ordinary. It was difficult to disguise so vast a personality and ability change in someone like her. She had no powers of her own, little physical strength, and her personality was too little like his own to make his efforts convincing. He had found his own hatred and disgust for the dog demon shining through like a beacon, something that was difficult to hold back while still maintaining a careful hold on her. Despite that failure, it had been rewarding watching the normally implacable expression of that dog demon briefly flicker from the venomous words of a mere human girl. _Sesshoumaru is losing his touch_, Ashrem thought with amusement. 

Yes, it had been very satisfying.

He looked up at the sky once more, watching as a blindingly bright sphere shot toward him with a speed that would have awed any youkai. He did not so much as blink as it descended toward him, but folded his arms in quiet expectation as the object landed and promptly evaporated into the form of a young woman clutching the Shikon no Tama in her hand. Wordlessly, and with the stare of a corpse, Rin extended the jewel toward him.

"You did wonderfully," he praised her, then frowned as she continued to stare ahead as though she had not heard him. With an exasperated shake of his head, Ashrem made a slight motion with his hand and the girl blinked, regaining an almost-human expression once more. 

"You will remain with me for the time being. I suspect your dog lord will come searching for you once he is able to function again." Ashrem laughed cheerfully, reaching out to put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her along with him as he moved back toward the small, abandoned shack he had settled into. "You will be quite a surprise for him, my dear girl. I am interested to see what his decision will be. But, most importantly of all, you will make a wonderful diversion. I thank you for your assistance," he said with a slight bow.

Rin said nothing.

*************************************************************************************************************************

After so painful an experience, one would generally like to awaken to something more peaceful than that which had pulled all conscious thought out from under them. That was not to be the case when one was served by so infernally loud and obnoxious a creature as Jaken.

"Sesshoumaru-samaaaaaaaa!" Jaken called, sounding almost mournful.

Sesshoumaru summoned enough muscular control to sweep his hand out, knocking Jaken from his feet, hoping that that action would let his servant know to be silent. He found that he was overly optimistic.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" came the cry again, this time joyful…and even louder.

The ringing in his head grew exponentially, not aided when the memory of what precisely had led him to this discomfort came back to mind. _Rin__ … holding the sword … and the Shikon no Tama._

His eyes snapped open. Ignoring the horrible, aching burn that had apparently consumed every nerve, tissue, and organ within his body, Sesshoumaru pushed himself back to his feet. The sun was now hanging heavily in the sky. A downward glance discovered an unconscious, dark-haired Inuyasha sprawled at his feet. He looked up then and found a sight that prompted him to step over his brother's body for a closer look. The front foyer of his home had collapsed inward upon itself in a pile of shredded wood and cracked stone, a silent testimony to what had struck them down.

A heart still beat within that house, one that was awake and afraid. It was thumping very loudly, as it would inside the body of a very frightened, very confused, and very trapped miko. He walked closer to this ruined section of the house, listening intently until he discerned her location, Jaken trailing silently in his wake.

Now _he chooses to be silent_, Sesshoumaru thought irritably as he began shoving broken timber aside, pulling it away piece by piece until a dusty, dirty arm was made visible. He pushed aside another larger stone, revealing a small cave-like depression that had likely saved Kagome's life. She coughed hoarsely as more chalky-gray dust was disturbed, squinting up into the sudden explosion of daylight. Wordlessly, Sesshoumaru reached in and pulled her up out of the hole, setting her on her feet … and immediately had to fight the impulse to throw her back in when she let out a screech in the form of Inuyasha's name.

Briefly closing his eyes against the renewed pounding in his head, he followed steadily behind Kagome, watching as she ran with impressive speed toward the still form of the hanyou. 

"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed, dropping to her knees and reaching out a hand to shake his shoulder, causing his head to loll back and forth like a broken doll. "Inuyasha!"

"Quit shrieking, you wretched female!" Sesshoumaru barked at her. "He's _fine_!"

She turned her dirty, dust-smeared face and looked back up at him. "He's in his human form! He shouldn't be …," she trailed off, looking uncertainly up at a sky that still held several hours of daylight. 

"His hanyou blood could not hold up to what just struck him. It is natural that he would have reverted back to this form." Sesshoumaru fixed her with a fierce, unblinking stare. "You can sense the direction in which the Shikon no Tama went."

"Yes," Kagome said, still watching Inuyasha intently. "Rin left with it," she stated, looking up at him for verification.

He nodded. "Her scent is gone. We have to track her, which means you must come with me."

"I'm not leaving him here," Kagome said of Inuyasha, looking at Sesshoumaru as though he had just lost what common sense she had ever credited him with.

"There is nothing wrong with him, nothing that will not be slept off. I do not have time to wait here until he finishes healing and I will not slow myself by carrying that mutt. If he had done what I had asked of him, she would never have been able to place a hand on that sword. He is fortunate I bothered to pull his worthless skin out of the way of the brunt of that attack." Before she could accuse him of actually giving a damn, he stated, "Somehow the idea of Inuyasha perpetually frozen as a statue on my grounds was very unappealing."

Kagome frowned and looked to him very much as though she was ready argue her side for the rest of the evening. "The Shikon no Tama _called_ that sword to it. There was nothing he could have done!" 

"That changes nothing. I need you to track that jewel and you _will_ come with me."

"Don't order me, Sesshoumaru," she warned. "I will not help you until I am sure he is okay. I'm not just going to abandon him here like this with who-knows-what lurking around in that forest of yours."

Sesshoumaru knelt across from her then, separated by Inuyasha's limp body, looking deathly serious. "Do you want me to wake him up?" he asked in an odd tone, and Kagome was suddenly very aware of a look in his eyes that she did not like at all.

"What do you---" she halted her intended question as Sesshoumaru's fingers turned a sickly green. Wordlessly and with casual ease, he plunged his claws into the side of Inuyasha's neck.

"What are you _doing_?! Stop that!" she screamed at him, horrified.

"Shut up and watch."

Inuyasha's body remained still and securely unconscious while the poison began to work its way through his skin. Then, in the blink of an eye, his entire form gave a violent pulse. His hair went back to white, claws replaced the very human fingernails, and he woke with a jolt, eyes glazed, one of his hands reaching up instantly to clasp around Sesshoumaru's wrist, instinctively trying to shove him away as his demon blood surged in an attempt to defend him. 

Sesshoumaru pulled away, shaking free of Inuyasha's grasp. The hanyou's hand fell limply back at his side as he inhaled great lungfuls of air. "Bastard," he said hoarsely, piercing Sesshoumaru with a glare.

"It seems your demon blood has not forsaken you after all, little brother," Sesshoumaru commented wryly. "You can thank your miko for that rude awakening."

"How did you know that that would---" Kagome began, but was stopped by his curt explanation.

"Unless he is lingering near death, a youkai will almost always be revived by his instincts when he feels he is being threatened, even if he is not fully aware of the nature of the threat. Our blood protects us, no matter the state of our health." He eyed Kagome expectantly as Inuyasha moved slowly, painfully, to a seated position. "Now, miko, he is awake and as functional as we can hope for. I expect you to fulfill _your_ end of the bargain."

*************************************************************************************************************************

**All right, now we're getting close to a wrap-up! I'm thinking 2 more chapters and an epilogue ought to do it. My goal is to finish this by February. Yeah, yeah…I've got optimism issues. And I've come to the realization that Chapter 16 is terrible in a lot of ways. It's almost straight dialogue. Eeek. Bugs me. Gotta fix later.**

**Next chapter: Sesshoumaru will locate Rin and find himself facing a pretty tough decision.**

**To the reviewers:**

**_New Fan:_ As you can see, Ashrem's dealings with Rin moved very quickly. There really wasn't a good way to draw it out because Sesshoumaru is a smart guy … it's not going to take him long to figure out something's up with her, so it had to be shorter than it was with Midoriko. Ashrem's not going to have a whole lot of time to target Eizan, unfortunately. ;) I'll leave that guy to Sesshoumaru in the sequel. Also, as for "strong feelings"… that's hard to say. Sesshoumaru is all action and less talk, so there's not going to be some huge declaration of love. I think it'd be pretty hard for him to even say that word. ;) The sequel will take a more romantic turn. I didn't want to rush them in this story just for the sake of doing it. It would have been too forced.**

**_Sesshoumaru'sFirefly_****_:_ Oh, that can hardly have been a surprise! LOL! ;) Ashrem's had his eye on her for like 5 chapters now. :D**

**_Blaise_****_:_ Sorry to have confused you … if you'll be more specific about what the problem is, maybe I can correct it. **

**_Melanie:_ Awww, thanks! I _was_ worried about Sesshoumaru not being in character, especially in the first 10 chapters or so, but then I just sort of realized, "Ya know, he wasn't born that stoic badass demon we all know and love. He had to get there from somewhere." So I purposefully gave him more of an "Inuyasha-like" attitude when he was younger. Now the problem with him being out-of-character when he's older is harder to resolve because, basically, he steps out-of-character the moment he opens his mouth. The guy doesn't express himself very much, at least, not without a weapon to do it for him. But when you're writing a story about him, he _has_ to talk. Oh, problems, problems. ;) Thanks for the sweet words! **

**_Silver Spell:_ Thank you, my dear! Yeah, I've gotta finish up thinking out that plot … a necessary evil. ;)**

**_Noir12:_ Thanks! Sesshoumaru struck me as being very conscious of that, too. But, the thing is, since he's also the type to say to hell with everyone else, I can also see him getting together with Rin. That's why, in this story, I've tried to make it clear that he could care less what everyone else thinks, but he does not want to dishonor his family. We'll see about more romantic interactions … lol … I'll try to squeeze something in, but, again, it's really hard since they're going to be so newly "together". He doesn't seem especially romantic. Rin's gonna have to train him on that. ;)**


	18. Weakness

"Ashrem, you're going to die."

Bringing his head up from where he was intently studying the glowing jewel, Ashrem cast a withering look at Shinosuke. The snow demon had arrived to lay claim to his portion of the Shikon no Tama, something Ashrem had not expected to happen so quickly. His mind was already reworking his plan, shifting it, and found that this unexpected visit could turn out to be quite helpful. 

"And why is that?" he finally asked in a bored tone, turning the jewel in his palm again. He had a good idea of what Shinosuke was referring to, however. 

Shinosuke jerked his head toward Rin, who was seated silently on the floor, looking away from them. "You'd better hope the first blow is the one that kills, because he's going to rip your spleen out for this. He _likes_ that girl."

"I know, Shinosuke. That is why she is here," Ashrem replied with utmost calm. "It's difficult to pin down a weakness for him. She's as close to one as there is, apparently." 

Shinosuke cast a skeptically appraising look at Rin, who bore more an appearance of a life-like statue than a living, breathing creature. "And you can really make her do whatever you want?"

"Absolutely," Ashrem said distractedly, reaching for a long chisel-like tool. He carelessly waved a few fingers in Rin's direction and Shinosuke watched as she promptly stood and moved to seat herself at the table across from him. "Would you like to see her do tricks?" Ashrem asked Shinosuke sarcastically. He then noticed that those blank, empty brown eyes were boring a hole through him. He mentally ordered her to turn that look on Shinosuke, which she immediately did, fixating on the demon with an unblinking, soulless stare.

"I was merely curious," the snow youkai said archly. "It makes me wonder if I should be a bit more wary of you, Ashrem."

Ashrem laughed convincingly, making it sound as though Shinosuke had made a great joke. "Do not be ridiculous, my friend. My powers do not work on demons," he lied. He hammered down on the jewel with the chisel, succeeding only in creating a scar on the wooden table when the tool ricocheted off the glowing sphere. 

Shinosuke watched Ashrem struggle for several minutes as he attempted to break the jewel, each try meeting with dismal failure. Sighing his exasperation, the demon pulled the chisel from Ashrem's grasp.

"Move your hand or lose some fingers," he advised, an order Ashrem was quick to comply with. Without further comment, the snow demon's arm arced downward, connecting with the jewel and igniting a protest in the form of a flash of light that forced them both to look away. 

Blinking away the spots that hovered over his vision, Ashrem looked back at the table to find the jewel unevenly split into several jagged pieces. Instantly, Shinosuke reached in to seize his share, an act Ashrem made no attempt to stop. 

"You know …," Ashrem said haltingly, as though the idea was just freshly forming within his head, "I will not need these shards once Sesshoumaru is dead." He let the suggestion of that statement linger in the air, something that was not missed by the youkai who stopped his forward motion toward the door and turned to glance speculatively at Ashrem.

"And what will you do with them?" he questioned with interest.

Ashrem shrugged. "I do not know. I suppose they should go somewhere for safe-keeping, that is, unless I knew of a friend who was interested in attaining them."

"Out with it, Ashrem," Shinosuke said, recognizing this tone of voice as the placating one the human man always used when he was about to plea for a favor.

Turning to smile widely at Shinosuke, Ashrem said quickly, "They are yours if you will help me again. All of them. As I said, I will have no use for them once he is gone. My only desire is to return to my home, repair it, and live out the rest of a life that was denied me. However, as long as Sesshoumaru lives and breathes, I will need these shards in order to continue my existence. He will not rest until one of us is dead and, clearly, I would prefer it to be him. It is a matter of self-preservation."

"What is it that you want?"

"Another youkai army. A stronger one. I know that you have the connections to make that happen."

Shinosuke shook his head, his long white-blue hair swinging with the astonished movement. "It was one thing to gather those brainless youkai to attack that human village, Ashrem. It will be far more difficult to assemble an army of demons who would actually be capable of standing up to him, never mind finding youkai who have enough guts to do it."

Ashrem nodded sagely, folding his arms into his sleeves as though in great thought. "That is why they will be compensated," he said. He reached one sun-browned hand across the table and collected several more of the jewel shards, then stood and walked to the demon. He deposited the shards into Shinosuke's hand. "If they die in battle, their shards will go their families."

Eyes narrowed in thought, Shinosuke finally nodded. "I'll see to it, though I've got to say you have an inordinate amount of faith in me to believe that I will not betray you. It would be a simple matter for me to take these shards for myself and leave you with nothing."

"If Sesshoumaru does not die, he will come for you and those shards. He is fully aware of what they are now. It will be in your best interest to aid me."

Shinosuke understood the truth in that statement. The Western Lord would be in no mood for apologies or explanations if he was to survive Ashrem's plot. This thought turned his attention back to Rin, who was still sitting in the chair with a look of frozen death on her features. "And you? What will you do while I am seeing to this army?"

Ashrem smiled enigmatically. "I will allow the girl to kill him for me or, at the very least, retrieve Tenseiga from him so that our army can finish the job."

"You place much faith in his feelings for that girl."

"He likes her, as you said."

"I doubt he likes her enough to throw away his life. If anything you'll probably piss him off even more." Shinosuke gave another dramatic sigh. "Ah, well. If nothing else, we'll have these shards to help exterminate him when he comes looking for them."

Once Shinosuke took his leave, Ashrem moved back across the dark, dank room of the small wooden house. He plucked another half dozen of the Shikon no Tama's pieces from the table and then approached Rin. He dropped to his knees next to her, the silence around him nearly deafening. As he stared up at her face, he admired the features that, even though expressionless from lack of thought and emotion, still gave her a beauty that maintained the remaining vestiges of childish cuteness. 

"I can see why he liked you. You were probably a very sweet little girl, weren't you?" he said, more to himself than to her. Still, it was completely foreign to him, trying to understand how someone as inherently good as Rin had managed to charm the devil. There was no denying that she had, however, and he was counting on the dog's feelings to aid his cause.

"You waste love on a being like him," he told her, surprised when his presence finally elicited a response from her. She turned to look at him and in the back of his mind, he could tell that somewhere within her heart lurked a menagerie of feelings that he did not want to explore. It was much easier to keep her like this, an emotionless puppet for his disposal. Still, it was impossible to be linked to someone else's mind and existence and be completely immune to the feelings of fear and misery, emotions that were emanating from the girl now. If Ashrem did not know himself better, he might have thought that he was perhaps experiencing a twinge of guilt. 

"I am doing you a favor. You will come to realize that with time," he stated, grasping lightly onto her right arm where his mark was still so blazingly present. "You have no concept of the problems his kind causes. They have only the semblance of souls, no real regard for life. They know only death and destruction. It is time those things were dealt to them in turn."

Studiously avoiding her piercing corpse-like stare, Ashrem turned her wrist to expose the underneath of her forearm. Quickly and methodically, he pierced the skin with the first shard, drawing blood immediately as he inserted it underneath the flesh, following it up with yet another. Rin remained wordless as he worked, and when the last shard was tucked securely underneath the skin, he cleansed her arm of the streaks of blood and wrapped the wounds. When all was finished, he finally sat back and regarded her once more. 

"I wonder what he will do," he pondered aloud. "I don't think that even you would be able to predict him in such a situation."

********************************************************************************************************************

The hanyou was nothing short of _slow_. Agonizingly, shamefully, nearly unbelievably slow. Turtle-like, was what Sesshoumaru would have credited him with. Inuyasha had always made it clear in battle that swift movement was something that had been subtracted from him by the presence of his human blood. But as they continued trailing the Shikon no Tama's path, Sesshoumaru could only assume that this particularly slow progression had something to do with the lingering effects of that purifying blow. Not even a hanyou could be this naturally deficient of speed.

Perhaps saving Inuyasha's worthless hide had been a poor decision. It would have served the hanyou right to be frozen for eternity with a look of dumbstruck stupidity on his face. But, no, letting him die that way would not have been acceptable. For one thing, it would have meant Sesshoumaru would have been forced to stare at his brother's ugly face every time he glanced out a window. It would likely have made the woman Kagome completely useless. She would have dissolved into a pile of hysterics that would have hindered the search for Rin even more than allowing the mutt to trail along behind him. 

But, most importantly of all, it would have been inconceivable to allow Ashrem to end the hanyou's life. That would have been a slap in the face to the deceased Inutaisho, something that Ashrem would have viewed as a victory. _A demon never lets an enemy take something from him _… even if it was an aggravating, brainless younger brother who immensely overestimated his own worth and abilities. If Sesshoumaru would not allow himself to choke the life out of Inuyasha, he certainly wasn't going to let someone else have that privilege.

He glanced behind him as Inuyasha sped along with the miko perched on his back, looking very much like some strange parasite. "Is that truly the best you can do?" he asked.

Inuyasha's gold eyes slitted. "Quit flapping your mouth and watch where you're going. You might trip," he added evilly, sounding as though he was praying to whatever god that would listen for just such a thing to occur. 

Sesshoumaru had not really needed to ask the question. He could hear the hanyou panting pathetically for air behind him. This was as much speed as he was going to get out of Inuyasha for the moment. It was not due to lack of effort, but to inability, exhaustion, or injury. More likely a combination of all three. _Useless brat._

Sesshoumaru's thoughts turned to that which he was seeking and he tuned into his senses once more, trying to scent out Ashrem or the path Rin had taken to him. He had several vague ideas of what Ashrem might have in store for her, a hostage, a second try as a weapon, there was no telling where she might fit into the man's plot. Ashrem had had two centuries to plan for this, so Sesshoumaru would choose not to underestimate him. 

"Stop!"

Immediately the order from Kagome brought him to a halt. He stopped and whirled to face her in one fluid motion. "What is it?"

"It stopped here," Kagome murmured absently, as though trying to think of something as she looked around at their forested surroundings. She motioned for Inuyasha to let her down, which he bent to do. She slid off his back and wandered about for a couple of steps, turning her head in several directions before settling her gaze on a hill not far ahead of them.

"The jewel stopped here."

"I'm not getting her scent," Inuyasha said with a frown, turning to look around him, but all that came into view was a grassy field that sloped upward and a ring of thick, dark trees that stood stoically around them like stiff, leafed soldiers. 

"You are certain?" Sesshoumaru asked Kagome suspiciously and was immediately annoyed when, instead of answering, she walked away from him. He watched her ascend the hill, apparently unhindered by the blanket of darkness that was surely hampering her sight. He moved to follow, Inuyasha at his heels. At the top, the scene changed very little…save for a dilapidated wooden structure that was half-hidden behind a wall of overgrowth in the near distance.

He left Kagome to her silent inspection and headed toward the house. Rin's scent was not lingering in the air, which would have been the case if she had been here within the last day or so. It had been less than a full day since she had disappeared. If she had been here, he would have known it. And yet, a lurking suspicion and an innate distrust of Ashrem and his abilities led him to open the creaking wooden door that barely clung to its frame.

Instantly, his nose was assaulted with the scent of her … she _had_ been here. And it was not just her natural scent that he was picking up, but the smell of her blood. This house reeked of it, as well as the presence of that accursed creature. And another … one that seemed vaguely familiar, but he could not immediately place it.

"Maybe she was injured when the front of your house collapsed," Inuyasha suggested quietly as he entered the small hut. "That bastard can't have gone too far with her. As soon as Kagome picks up on the Shikon no---"

"Her scent, and his, do not exist outside this shelter."

Inuyasha frowned. "Well, they sure as hell couldn't have just evaporated. They had to have gone somewhere. That creepy witch doctor, or whatever he is, may know how to evade you, but I don't think he understands that Kagome can sense the presence of the jewel."

"Do not underestimate him. He is weak, but not stupid. Don't presume what he does and does not know."

Inuyasha frowned at Sesshoumaru as a question formed itself. "What exactly did you do to this guy to make him so vindictive?

"Nothing," Sesshoumaru replied.

"If you think that's believable, you're about as stable as he is."

Sesshoumaru's head swiveled back and forth as he inspected the small structure. "I have done nothing to harm him. That will soon change, however."

Both demons turned to look behind them as Kagome approached, her face wearing a deep, puzzled frown. 

"Did you pick up on the trail, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.

She shook her head uncertainly. "It disappeared. It's not here, but there's no feeling of which way it went. I don't sense anything at all."

Sesshoumaru listened to Kagome's explanation, thinking that it sounded very much like what he had experienced with his sense of smell. Their scents were here, but did not provide a clue as to the way they had gone, which led him to believe that Ashrem had allowed them enough of a trail to lead them to this place. "I will wait here," Sesshoumaru suddenly informed them.

"Wait here?" Inuyasha asked. "It's not like he's gonna accidentally wander back this way, you know."

"No, he won't, but he has his weapon and he will want his confrontation. I believe he led us here to stall until he is prepared for that meeting, whatever that may entail."

"And you're going to just go along with that?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "We'll play his game for now. His ultimate goal is my death and that cannot transpire unless I am present for him to attempt to kill me. I believe he wants a face-to-face confrontation. He has waited this long, he will want the chance to gloat."

"What about Rin?" Kagome asked quietly.

"I will get her back," Sesshoumaru replied, as though it was ridiculous for Kagome to have even inquired. "You are no longer necessary. You and the Inuyasha are free to go."

"Heh! There you go giving orders again. I've never listened to you before and I'm not about to set a precedent."

"Go home, hanyou," Sesshoumaru repeated, moving across the room to inspect a small, scarred wooden table. 

"You're raving if you think for a minute I'm not getting a part in this battle. That bastard took a shot at me, he nearly killed Kagome, and he turned Rin into a zombie. You think I'm going to allow him to keep walking around? If that jerk manages to kill you, he's gonna be _my_ problem."

"Is that loyalty I hear, mutt?" Sesshoumaru asked sarcastically, turning to look back at the defiant Inuyasha..

"Don't kid yourself. I fully sympathize with his desire to snuff you out."

 Sesshoumaru regarded Inuyasha silently for several moments before nodding slightly. "Then we'll wait here until he feels secure enough to challenge me."

***************************************************************************************************************

Though heartsick at the disappointment of not finding Rin whole and sound at the end of their journey, Kagome's weary body was grateful for the rest. If one could call it rest. Waiting for their enemy to fulfill his intentions created a quiet anxiety that left her gazing thoughtfully out into the pitch black forests. There was plenty to aid her sight on this night, as the moon was shining with a pale yellow glow and the roaring fire beside her was performing adequately in its own right. It had been a simple matter to acquire material for burning; Sesshoumaru had instantly set about demolishing the small wooden shack with a viciousness that Inuyasha had been eager to participate in. Now their tiny camp held a blazing bonfire, an endless pile of fuel for that fire, one tense, stoic demon, and a now utterly unconscious half-demon.

Kagome looked over at Inuyasha; his breathing was so loud it was almost to the point of snoring. _He's exhausted_, she thought tiredly. That attack Rin had used had really sucked the energy out of him. He had had such a hard time keeping up with Sesshoumaru, but he had not complained. She knew he had not wanted to appear weak to the brother that belittled him at every given opportunity. Kagome could understand how he felt. She stretched her sore, stiff muscles. She was bruised from head to toe and being hauled around on Inuyasha's back for most of the evening and well into the night had not been helpful.

She jumped in fright as a sizeable piece of lumber unexpectedly dropped down into the fire from behind her, igniting the flames into a frenzy as they worked to consume this new bit of fuel. _Yeah, I'm on edge. _"Don't do that," she hissed up at Sesshoumaru. "This place is creepy enough without you stalking up behind me like that."

He did not reply, instead choosing to walk around the fire to peer out into the darkness, as though attempting to discern the possibility of a threat. Inuyasha began snoring in earnest. Kagome sighed.

"Sesshoumaru," Kagome said finally, glancing up at the marble-like figure that hovered nearby, "are you sure you know what to expect from Ashrem? He's obviously gotten stronger."

"As have I."

"Stronger than the Shikon no Tama?" she asked quietly, and was aware that that was a question to which they both knew the answer.

No reply. Predictable.

Finally he said, "You have nothing to worry about. Your part in this is finished."

Kagome frowned, not liking the idea, true though it was, that she, too, had been manipulated by the actions and suggestions of Ashrem. "I have plenty to worry about. You've said that he wants to destroy the demon population. Inuyasha will be a target if he is successful in this. He already has been a target, in fact."

Sesshoumaru turned his back to the forest and knelt beside the fire directly across from her. "Inuyasha was a target because he was present. I find it far more likely that Ashrem views him as more of a victim than a true enemy."

"A victim?" Kagome repeated.

"Yes," Sesshoumaru answered tonelessly as he watched the fire slowly blacken the wood and turn it to ash. He added another piece from the destroyed hut, recalling as he did, the harsh words Ashrem had spoken through Rin in defense of Inuyasha. "He probably views Inuyasha as a result of the relentless domination of demons over humans, a byproduct of my father's ego, selfishness, and carelessness."

"And you disagree with that?" Kagome asked. 

"Not entirely."

"I had always assumed that Inutaisho-sama loved Inuyasha's mother," Kagome murmured. She was grateful that Inuyasha was still soundly asleep. This conversation would have set him off like a rocket. 

"My father had _unwise_ feelings for Izayoi, term them as love if you wish," Sesshoumaru said disdainfully. "It was careless of him to allow those to develop at all. My point is that Ashrem has no concept of such things. He was raised separately from other humans, with only the company of an old, obnoxious, curmudgeonly man. Ashrem has no feelings for others and, thus, cannot understand the motivations of individuals who act on such things. Those are the emotions he cannot control in others, which I believe was his undoing during Midoriko's final battle."

"It allowed her to fight back," Kagome said thoughtfully. How strange to be having such a discussion with Sesshoumaru. He was accusing Ashrem of having no concept of matters of love, friendship, or warm emotions. It was like the pot calling the kettle black.

"Precisely," Sesshoumaru responded curtly. "Though with less than ideal results. If he had had a better grip on Midoriko, it is quite likely that the Shikon no Tama would never have been created." He paused a moment before adding a warning. "I say again that you and my idiot brother would be better served by leaving this place."

"Say what you want about Inuyasha, but he's not a coward. He wants to help you, even if he's not exactly nice about it."

"I do not need his assistance. The both of you will only be a hindrance."

Kagome shrugged lightly. "It won't matter what I say, anyway. He's stubborn. He's not going to leave this to you."

Sesshoumaru looked up at her from across the flames. "The smartest thing Inuyasha could do would be to relinquish the Tetsusaiga and return to your time permanently. He will not need it there, as I have been told that there are no youkai in your era."

"Ah … well, that's mostly true," Kagome conceded. "In my time you'd probably be the Lord of the Western Business District or something like that …"

"'Business District'?" Sesshoumaru repeated distastefully, having no idea what this phrase meant and loathing the idea of having to ask her for an explanation. Fortunately, her natural talkativeness alleviated his curiosity.

Kagome nodded. "In my time, your lands are extremely … overtaken. Big shops and … places where people work … and mechanical … ah … horses?" she stated, not really certain how to relate modern Japan to a Feudal era demon lord. 

"If my lands are being overrun by shopping humans, then I must surely be dead," Sesshoumaru said, sounding annoyed and getting the feeling that he had just been patronized. 

"I don't know. You might have … adapted," Kagome suggested, though she sounded doubtful. The briefest image of a modern Sesshoumaru holding down a job, eating pizza and potato chips, and having to explain his ears as a birth defect suddenly came to mind. 

"Unlikely," he replied. 

"In any case, Inuyasha doesn't belong there," Kagome insisted. "Humans in my era aren't accustomed to seeing people with dog ears."

"He does not belong here, either."

"According to you," she retorted. "That is because you don't like him. He embarrasses you. What makes you think you're such an authority as to dictate who has the right to exist around you? And you wonder where Ashrem got the idea that exterminating all the demons might be a good thing?" Kagome asked irritatedly.

"I _am_ an authority; that was granted to me at my birth," Sesshoumaru responded with cool arrogance. "I did not create the rules of our society, but I agree with them, and according to those same unwritten laws, Inuyasha should not have been born. I know precisely why Ashrem believes that the demon population should be destroyed. I have never said that his assumptions were wrong, just that I will not allow him to fulfill his wishes."

"Will you two shut the hell up?!" Inuyasha suddenly griped, startling Kagome, who glanced guiltily over at him. He turned his back to them, yawning loudly. "And, Sesshoumaru, if my name comes out of your mouth one more time, I'm going to break your face."

*****************************************************************************************************************************

Ashrem looked up from reading the note Shinosuke had sent to him, grateful that there was enough moonlight for him to make out the hurriedly scrawled characters. The snow demon had done as he had promised and, just as Ashrem had predicted, the prospect of obtaining shards of the Shikon no Tama had been more than enough to inspire a small, yet adequate uprising. 

He would have something to fall back on, at least. But if the first stages of his plan went as he hoped, the assistance of the army would be quite unnecessary. He crumpled up the note and tossed it into the velvety, blue-hued grass, then turned to face Rin, who was standing beside him looking out at the view around them. In the distance, the vague, shadowy outline of a mountain could be seen, one that would be bathed in sunrise before too long. He would not wait for dawn to come.

"I have faith in you, Rin. Hopefully I have not been overly optimistic in judging the depth of his attachment to you." Ashrem reached out and affectionately patted the girl's head. "It is fully my intention to see that you come through this unharmed. I hope I can keep to that."

He adjusted some of the armor she was wearing and was suddenly eerily reminded of Midoriko. It had been a matter of necessity to accumulate clothes intended for battle, which was why Rin was now ensconced in heavier material and demon bone armor. He wanted Sesshoumaru to know he was serious. And it would be beneficial if the effect served to put him off-balance.

Unsheathing Midoriko's sword, he handed it to Rin, who reached out and clasped the hilt without comment. He had long since removed the bandages from her injured arm. The wounds inflicted by the shards' placement had healed up quickly and efficiently without so much as a scar. He absently reached his own hand into his shirt and felt for the remainder of the jewel.

Yes, this was going precisely to plan. "Shall we sound the alarm, my dear?" he asked of Rin with a gallant smile. Knowing that he could expect no response, Ashrem ignited the Shikon no Tama.

******************************************************************************************************************************

Kagome woke with a jerk. Through the stale, billowing smoke of the fire's dying embers, she met Sesshoumaru's eye. Inuyasha jumped lightly down from a tree.

"Kagome?"

"It's nearby. I can feel it," she said breathlessly, not even needing to use effort to pinpoint the direction. The Shikon no Tama was going off like a beacon.

Instantly, Inuyasha hauled her onto his back and they set off in the direction Kagome indicated, the hanyou's speed greatly improved after the hours of sleep. Kagome clung to his shoulders, the trees around them whirling by in a dizzying array of shadows. Sesshoumaru was just ahead of them, his long white hair billowing out behind him in a wind that was now carrying the very clear scent of the one he was searching for. 

The landscape changed quickly from grassy plains to an incline that eventually plateaued into something rockier and visibly less pleasing. Grass gave way to hard earth, trees valiantly shot up through the ground, but were withered and scraggly-looking. It was as though something had cursed the living things in this place for, though it was not far from lush, natural beauty, this landscape was harsh and uninviting. And it was in this place that they finally located the ones they had come for.

Sesshoumaru slowed and drew to a stop when his sight located Rin. She was standing casually and at ease, attired in clothing that was very akin to what the demon slayer of Inuyasha's group was known to wear in battle. Her hair was pulled back, chest, abdomen, knees, and shoulders covered by armor. In her hand, she clutched the sheathed hilt of that wretched sword, and he was suddenly oddly caught in two different times, so strongly did she exude Midoriko's powers.

What unsettled him most, however, was that she looked entirely prepared for a fight. 

"You cowardly bastard," Sesshoumaru said, eyeing Rin, who watched him with complete detachment. "Show yourself, Ashrem, or I will be glad to come up there and snap your neck!" he called out into the darkness, his eyes automatically sweeping up to a nearby rocky ledge.

His demand was met with cheerful laughter, the mirth of one who felt himself to be invincible. A dark figure came into view at the top of the ledge, a shadow to Kagome's sight, but as visible as though in broad daylight to that of the two demons.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Ashrem greeted , his voice echoing around them. "You have been quite indulgent of me. I do appreciate that, it has made things simpler."

"Come down here, Ashrem, and you will have your confrontation," Sesshoumaru said coldly. 

"Oh, I think not. There is no need to risk myself. I have someone who is more than willing to fight for me."

The gloating note in Ashrem's voice set off Sesshoumaru's pent-up fury and he leapt up toward the cliff ledge, fingers glowing green as he summoned up his whip attack. Before he could slice into that smug face, however, movement out of the corner of his eye diverted his attention. He leapt back out of the way as a wave of energy from Midoriko's sword swept just past him and created an explosion of dirt and rock.

The ringing of laughter echoed once again as Sesshoumaru returned to the ground, watching intently as Rin attained a loose fighting stance, one he had never taught her to do. Sesshoumaru glanced over as Inuyasha pulled Tetsusaiga.

"Put that sword away before I gut you with it," Sesshoumaru snapped.

"I'm not going to attack her, baka, mind your own business," Inuyasha spat back.

"Sesshoumaru," Kagome said quietly, coming up alongside him. He looked down at her as she whispered, "Rin is using Shikon shards."

"How many?"

"Six, I think," she said. "You're not going to fight her, are you?"

He did not respond as Ashrem called out then. "I suppose your shard detector has just informed you of the shards I've placed in Rin? Good, then she has verified what I was about to tell you."

"Human scum, you send a child to do your work again? Do you honestly believe she is a match for me? Shards … a magical blade … you think that is sufficient to secure my death? You have grievously miscalculated."

"The difference in power is neither here nor there. The matter is whether or not I have miscalculated _you_, Sesshoumaru-sama," Ashrem replied cryptically, sounding highly pleased. "The Shikon no Tama responds to me because I helped create it; inadvertently I'll grant, but Midoriko needed help during that last battle. She used me to aid her in a battle against demons that were too strong for her to defeat. I control her powers now, Sesshoumaru, and through me, Rin possesses them as well. Do you not understand the ramifications of that?"

A cold feeling gripped Sesshoumaru's insides as he understood what Ashrem was trying to tell him. The man had purposefully recreated Midoriko's final battle. The sword. The girl with the same magical abilities. And the demon that would prove to be too powerful to defeat. 

He supposed that this was what helplessness was. As his brain worked furiously to think of something to disentangle the situation, the back of his mind wondered if this was also weakness. A decade ago he would have disemboweled anyone who would even have suggested that he would reach the point he had now come to. How had a human girl become of such significance as to force him to weigh his own death against hers? He was struck for a moment as he realized that this was the very decision his father had faced just before death had finally found him. Inutaisho had chosen to save Inuyasha … and Izayoi … at his own expense, an action that had brought about his end. It was a selflessness that Sesshoumaru had always been certain he had not inherited. 

"If you provoke her enough, she will go off like a firecracker. Do you think Tenseiga will be able to save her where it failed Midoriko?"  Ashrem called.

Is _this weakness_? he wondered once more as he tuned out Ashrem's jeering voice and focused on Rin. He had felt so when it had been his father, the great taiyoukai of the West, who had made so preposterous a decision as to insert himself between death and two insignificant, finite beings. But his father had always felt that, because a demon's existence was long and secure, it was their responsibility to protect the humans that, in the misfortune of their births, had not inherited the gift of those long, uninterrupted years. 

Even now Sesshoumaru scoffed at that idea. Ridiculous. To his mind that had sounded as though Inutaisho placed humans at their level of importance, which was laughable. Humans as a species could go to hell. 

But not this one.  

"Under no circumstances are you to involve yourself in this battle, Inuyasha, do I make myself clear?" Sesshoumaru finally broke out of his reverie to order his brother.

"You're going to _fight_ her?" Inuyasha asked incredulously, but Sesshoumaru turned to Kagome.

"Where are the shards located?"

"The underside of her right forearm," Kagome replied hesitantly.

With this answer, Sesshoumaru began walking steadily toward Rin, drawing Toukijin in a slow motion. 

Whether under her own volition or the orders of Ashrem, she went out to meet him, using graceful movements that hinted at a battle prowess that she did not naturally possess. When he halted his forward motion, she did the same, holding the sword in a stance that very nearly mirrored his own. He studied her carefully, the lax expression, dead eyes.

"Can you not hear me?" he asked quietly.

Her response was to bring the sword up in a reflex that was of near-youkai speed. Sesshoumaru did the same, but only blocked the attack, watching her for signs of intended movements. The jewel had vastly increased her strength and speed, but it could not make up for inexperience in battle. The next blow from her was more of a surprise; it was accompanied by a nasty purifying shock that swept through him from fingertips to feet. 

He stepped back from the assault, remembering Ashrem's words: _"If you provoke her enough, she will go off like a firecracker."_

Then it would be a matter of disarming her before she destroyed herself. 

This time he went on the offensive, lashing out at her sword, attempting brute strength to knock it from her grasp. Even as he hacked at it, the sword remained firmly in her hand, as though welded to her palm. _The shards … that is their doing_, he thought as he gave one last, heavy swing. She retaliated with an energy attack that he barely evaded; and even so, it instigated great discomfort. Yes, the sword was gaining power.  

_Cut off her hand._ This thought was disturbing enough to make him draw back from her. Absently, his thoughts went to what remained of his own severed arm. Could he do that to her? he wondered momentarily, watching Rin's tense, wary form. His eyes strayed to her right wrist.

 To save her life? Yes, he could.

He gave her no warning this time, instead slicing Toukijin through the air to dissect the delicate bones and tissues that attached her hand to her wrist. Instantly, a very familiar purple barrier swept up around the arm and his sword rebounded with enough force to nearly cause him to lose his grip.

The hauntingly familiar scent and feeling of Midoriko's powers and that revolting purifying energy grew even more, and Sesshoumaru found himself succumbing to frustration. He paced several steps away from her, glaring at her, a vicious fury circulating through his veins.

This was going precisely as that bastard Ashrem had hoped. He was going to force Sesshoumaru's hand, as it was becoming increasingly obvious that this battle would have to end with the death of one of them. He could not disarm her and she was not his match. Suddenly, Sesshoumaru recalled that gut-wrenching sensation, the one that had come with being removed against his will from that other battle long ago when Midoriko had annihilated all of those demons. He had been pulled away by Tenseiga. He had survived and lived on for two more centuries, while she had been robbed of the years that had remained to her short life.

Sesshoumaru did not believe he had it in him to allow it to happen again. Especially not with this human girl. 

_I returned her life to her once. She is on borrowed time_, something within him argued.

He quickly silenced this thought. He had _gifted_ her with more time. He would not rescind upon that, nor would he allow for his enemy to take it from her. Kameko had said that he could not understand how precious time was to humans. She had been wrong. He was highly aware of that fact; it was that that had forced him to keep his distance from Rin, far more so than her humanity. 

Time. Something that had become so meaningless to him that he barely registered the passage of decades, much less years. It held no impact, no expectation. It simply existed along with him, steering clear of him while it focused its efforts on forcing the life from the bodies of its human victims. It was a foe that could not be defeated and it would stalk Rin to the end of her life. 

He moved to defend himself as she lunged at him again, sword clashing against sword, the energy impacting him and provoking enough pain to incite him to swing back. 

"Wake up!" he bellowed at her over the sound of ringing metal. "_Rin!_ _Wake up!_"

A powerful surge of energy swept up and around them before he could step away, and his heart gave an unfamiliar thump of fear as he wondered if he had just provoked her into annihilating herself. He was tossed backward as the attack struck at him, grounding him into the dirt with a crushing weight, that horrible burning returning to lick at his bones. Tenseiga gave a hard, protesting pulse against his leg as he blinked up at the starry sky above him. 

He wouldn't let it pull him away again. If it wanted to retreat form this battle, then it could damn well do it without him. He moved to his knees and drew Tenseiga, hurtling it away with enough strength to send it into the darkness and out of view entirely. 

From where they stood not far away, Kagome and Inuyasha watched Sesshoumaru get back to his feet, Kagome with palpable tension, Inuyasha with grim expectation. He, too, was coming to understand that there were only two possible outcomes for this battle, both of which would result in a death that would not be Ashrem's. Inuyasha had been certain of whose death it was going to be, until he had watched in open astonishment as his brother threw Tenseiga away.

"Why …?" Kagome began, but found she could not voice the rest of the question.

Inuyasha had the sudden idea that he had misjudged Sesshoumaru's feelings for Rin. Human or not, the girl had forced Sesshoumaru to make a decision that Inuyasha would never have credited him with had he not seen the act for himself. 

"He's going to die," Inuyasha said, barely aware that he had voiced the thought aloud.

Sesshoumaru paced slowly around Rin, and the girl turned with him, moving limberly, as though a battle was a daily occurrence, routine. "You're not going to come back on your own, are you?" he questioned more to himself than to her. As predicted she did not respond and his eyes fell to the mark on her arm, the one that was branded into all of Ashrem's victims. He could feel the sword's powers growing, quickly, exponentially, and Sesshoumaru could sense what was coming.

"Has he tired of playing with you?" Sesshoumaru asked her in a subdued voice. "Then tell him I will wait for him in hell."

He brought up his sword in a half-hearted display of defense as she lunged at him, the purifying energy, building, escalating, until he nearly feared that they would both be destroyed by it. The eternally frozen image of a certain demon slayer came to mind as Rin leapt at him. Sesshoumaru dropped Toukijin.

The blade of Midoriko's sword, the sword his own father had had forged, slid through cloth, skin, and bone, just beneath his chest armor. Instant agony engulfed him as the sword did the job it was intended for and destroyed his demonic aura, but Sesshoumaru clung to his life with a surge of desperation. He clutched onto the girl and jerked her to him, fingers snaking around her arm to claw the shards out of her skin. He immediately released them, letting them fall to the hard, brown earth. With quickly slackening strength, he pulled roughly on her wrist, removing her grip from the sword. An all-encompassing weakness overtook him then and he collapsed to his knees, Rin falling with him. 

His gaze fell to her face and he was gratified to see her expression returned to her, whether by the removal of the shards or the shock of her actions, he did not know, but he recognized the brown eyes as they blinked at him in sudden recognition, morphing in turn to confusion and then horror as she looked down at the hilt that protruded from his chest. 

She inhaled a terrified gasp of air as her senses returned, vaguely aware of a stinging pain in her arm, devastatingly recognizing what had just occurred. 

"Se-sesshoumaru …," she gasped, panic clouding her brain as to what action to take. All she could do for the longest, awful moment was watch as the infallible, indestructible Sesshoumaru appeared to wilt before her very eyes. The markings on his face faded to pale streaks, his hair became dull, limp, turning from shiny white to listless gray, and his eyes became a sickly yellow. Rin's hands clutched at his shoulders as she stared into his face, watching as life drained from him with a terrifying speed, struggling to use her weight to keep his limp body from pitching forward. It was like witnessing someone drowning, or like a fish that was plucked from water and left to expire in misery on the shore. 

Tears nearly blinding her, she moved to reach for the sword in order to try to remove it, but a blurred red and white form materialized next to her and pushed her hand away. Wordlessly, Inuyasha grabbed Sesshoumaru's shoulder with one hand and mercifully extracted the blade with the other. 

"_What's happening to him_?!" Rin exclaimed in a choked voice as Inuyasha tossed Midoriko's sword into the grass several feet away. Kagome hurried up to join them, dropping to her knees beside Rin. 

"He's being purified," Inuyasha replied, kneeling to lower his brother's body to the ground. It was disconcerting, watching Sesshoumaru's death. A less powerful demon would have met a quick end; a taiyoukai was left to an excruciatingly slow demise, but one that would yield the same results. And, oddly, as much as Inuyasha had always professed how pleased he would be on the day Sesshoumaru expired, there was no joy in this moment.  

A cavernous echo was filling Sesshoumaru's ears, though he could hear Inuyasha's words, faint and far off. He found that his sight was diminished to the point of barely being able to make out the faces above him. It was his inborn obstinance that was making him force each pained breath into his lungs. The very thought of his death insulted him, despite the fact that it had been his decision.   

"You stubborn bastard," Inuyasha said quietly, though the insult held no sincerity. "Looks like I'm going to have to track down that damned sword of yours. I'll save your worthless ass and then we'll be even, eh?"

_Tenseiga will not respond to you, Inuyasha_, Sesshoumaru thought with sudden certainty. It had taken the hanyou months to learn how to attack with the sword that had been _meant_ for him. He did not have the ability to simply pick up Tenseiga and use it. _That sword will probably like you less than I do_, Sesshoumaru thought with grim amusement. 

"Hanyou …" Sesshoumaru said, but the word came out as little more than a raspy whisper, and he found that he could not finish the sentence. He could physically feel his organs shutting down, breath became a struggle, and a growing blackness was beginning to block his vision.

"Go ahead and kick off, brother, there's no reason for you to hang around like this," Inuyasha said soberly, but he made an effort to keep his tone light. "Once Tenseiga hauls that evil soul of yours back here, we'll finish Ashrem."

Inuyasha's voiced faded along with his face. Sesshoumaru could hear the faint sounds of a girl sobbing, felt the slight pressure of fingers twining around his hand. Despite the earlier consideration of weakness, he remained certain he had made the right decision.

The growing darkness was replaced by a bright light, one that brought images and sounds long past whirling in front of his eyes; people and faces he had known, some for a short span of time, others for a life-time. He had a brief glimpse of his mother, beautiful and stern, and the long-forgotten sound of her voice whispered past his ears. His father, extended Kuzusu toward a childish version of him, allowing him to hold a sword for the first time. Then there was a jolt as a dark-haired girl turned around … Midoriko … laughing at him even as she accused him of being an obnoxious jerk for expressing some insult he could no longer recall. Jaken appeared then, bowing and calling his name as ingratiatingly as only the toad was capable. Then Inuyasha appeared as a small, ridiculously dog-eared child, hurtling out to greet him with a gleeful chirp of  "Aniki!". And, finally, a dark-haired little girl was walking beside him, attired in a familiar orange and yellow kimono, asking him an endless stream of questions that were punctuated by frequent "Sesshoumaru-sama"s, questions he had not bothered to answer, a response that had not daunted her in the least as she chattered on …. 

The sound of an anguished adult Rin shattered these flashes of his life as she called out his name, a sound that reached his ears as though from at a great distance. This time he would have answered her, but not even the great Western Lord could defeat this foe. Exhaling his last breath, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and died. 

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**Agggggghhhhhh! God, that was hard to write. I adore him … it's so hard to kill him. ;) Really, though, it's not like I'm going to leave him like that … jeez … that'd be a rather abrupt end to this story. Drama, drama. I hope the little flashback of his life wasn't too sappy … but, when people are about to die, I don't think their thoughts are going to go to the darker stuff. Even heartless demon lords. ;)**

**Oh, and for those of you who are completely confused, it had to be either him or Rin because Ashrem was granting her Midoriko's powers (which he controls completely now that he has the Shikon no Tama). Basically, Sesshoumaru was trying to keep her from becoming a statue, which would have happened if he had continued fighting her, just as it did with Midoriko. So Sesshy did the nice thing and "took the bullet" so to speak.  **

**Thanks, as always, to the fabulous Wethril for beta-ing!**

**Next chapter: Midoriko and Sesshoumaru have a chat. Ashrem gets the crap beat out of him. Yeah…that'll be fun to write. **

**To the reviewers:**

**_Noir12_: Thaaaank you! :D Well … he got Rin back. He had to do it the hard way, but I'll fix it in the next chapter. ;) I think he had pride issues in this chapter. Allowing himself to die over a human girl is a problem … but so is allowing his enemy to take her out. So, when it came down to it, Sesshoumaru discovered his priorities! By the way, anyone else reading this response … go check out Noir12's favorite stories section. Talk about good stories! Noir12, you have excellent taste in fanfiction. I had never heard of some of those stories and several of them are amazing…makes me want to go take a writing class or something. :P**

**_Marnika_: Then you're looking for the next chapter. :D Ashrem's due for the biggest ass-kicking I can type.**

**_Melanie_: Yeah, my beta reader is the best. Do you know that she typically gets back to me within just a few hours? So no one can ever blame her for how long it takes me to get some of these chapters out. LOL! It's all delay on my end. ;) And Midoriko will be appearing quite a bit in the next chapter! :D**

**_SessRinFan_: Awww, thank you!! I'm glad you're enjoying it. LOL! And me, too, about the girls … you know that has to be the biggest beating, living around those two guys while they're in such close quarters together. I liked Midoriko a lot, too. She shall return in Chapter 19. :D**

**_Blaise_: Like LOTR? Which section … that was inadvertent if it did sound like something from the movie. I haven't seen LOTR in a long time, so maybe it was subconscious. If you'll let me know which part, I'll change it. :D And thank you!**

**_Ourania_: Yeah, I moved quick on that last chapter, which is why it's a little bit shorter. I tried to squeeze as much into my vacation as I could, but, sadly, school has sucked me back in. ;) _*watches as Ourania starts stalking up to Ashrem with a steak knife*_ Dammit, woman, I've waited 19 chapters to kill that bastard … you just wait your turn! LOL! Don't worry … his death isn't going to be pretty at all. Sesshoumaru's gonna be in a terrible mood. ;) I think getting killed does that. And I wondered why a tent suddenly sprung up in my front yard … looks like I'll just have to mow around you. ;)**

**_Silvermuse89_: Thank you, thank you! I tried to keep him in character in this chapter, too, which is why he's having that little internal debate about what the hell he thinks he's doing. LOL! Kill himself over a human? Whaaaaaaaaat? That's why I had a few lines where he was still sort of "pep-talking" himself, as in, "Yeah, my father may have had this same issue, but I still think humans are just fit for a maggot buffet." There just happens to be one exception. ;)**

**_CurlsofSerenity_: Thank you very much! :D**

**_Sashlea:_ I am easily bothered by my writing. I'll often do a chapter, think it's fine, and then later on read it again and call it crap. ;) But then I fix things and I'm happy with them again. And that would be a cool idea, except that I've gotta let Sesshoumaru kill the guy. I just _have_ to. ;)**


	19. Midoriko's Intervention and Inuyasha's R...

Inuyasha looked on as Sesshoumaru died; watched as his body took on the look of an empty shell. It was almost as though one could see the instant in which the soul had fled. He sat back on the heels of his bare feet, vaguely listening as Kagome tried to comfort the inconsolable Rin. He had always considered Sesshoumaru as being incapable of a noble act. _It's just like you to do one nice thing in your entire life … and then drop dead_, Inuyasha thought darkly. Who would have ever thought that _Sesshoumaru_ would have been dealt a demise he hadn't deserved?

He quickly wiped his hands clean on his clothing and, standing, glanced over at the two girls. Kagome had her arms wrapped around Rin, and the younger girl was crying her heart out, a horrible, soul-rending sound. 

"Hey, stop that … he knew what he was doing. Tenseiga can bring him back, got it? That was the whole point. You'll just piss him off if you cry all over him," Inuyasha said sternly. 

With that parting comment, he stalked off into the slowly-lightening morning. The sun was rising, and the first pink hints of daylight were forcing the darker blue out of its way. Inuyasha looked around the desolate landscape, using his senses to try to pick up on Ashrem. The man had disappeared at some point during the battle, when exactly he was not sure, since Sesshoumaru's actions had been riveting his attention at the time. 

With a light-footed leap and Tetsusaiga clutched in one hand, he jumped up to the ledge Ashrem had used as a perch from which to heckle at Sesshoumaru. From this point of view, the three individuals below him looked much smaller, and he could see far into the distance where a mountain hovered, pale gray in the slowly growing light. The man's foul scent still lingered here, but it was quickly getting old. He had fled from his own victory. Inuyasha walked a few steps away from the ledge, noticing that this time Ashrem had not erased his scent trail. Whether that was due to haste or overconfidence, Inuyasha did not know, but he was certainly going to make use of that bad decision.

He sheathed Tetsusaiga and dropped back down to the dusty ground, eyes scanning the dry terrain for its sister sword even as his mind replayed the direction in which Sesshoumaru had thrown it. _Couldn't have made things simple and tossed it in my direction, could you, you obstinate cur?_ He thought silently as he wandered about, eyes trying to pick up on the gleam of metal

It was not long before he found it, wedged blade-down into the disturbed earth. Briefly recalling the barrier their father had put around Tetsusaiga in order to keep Sesshoumaru from being able to take it, Inuyasha wondered momentarily if he was about to be in for a nasty surprise of his own. This new consideration was not enough to make him hesitate as he reached out and wrapped his fingers around the hilt, pulling it free from the earth with a light tug. _I knew the old man liked me better_, he thought smugly, as he turned to run back toward the girls. 

Kagome looked up as he approached and he saw that even she was slightly teary-eyed. _So damned soft-hearted_, he thought to himself as he gestured for them to move away from the body. _How easily she forgets that, dead or not, this guy wouldn't have given a damn if it had been her lying there_. Inuyasha shook his head slightly in consternation. _One good deed doesn't wipe out a lifetime of joyfully creating misery and death…_

And yet here he was raising Tenseiga in just the manner Sesshoumaru had used when he had set about reviving all of those villagers for Rin. 

_Okay, two good deeds. You're still the biggest jerk I've ever known. _

He waited for those creepy little soul-gatherers to come for their prize, gazing down thoughtfully at his brother's body. He certainly didn't look like the almighty, invincible taiyoukai anymore; more like a human than a demon now that his youkai powers were destroyed. It was rather creepy, actually. Without the usual cold, superior expression, he looked eerily like Inutaisho. Or, at least, what Inuyasha could remember of Inutaisho. 

_Where are you, you little cretins?_ he wondered, tapping his foot restlessly. The longer they stood here, the more time Ashrem had to find another hiding place.  

"Will it work, Inuyasha?" came Rin's hesitant, quavery voice from behind him

"Don't worry, I'll figure it out," he assured her, glancing over his shoulder. Sesshoumaru wasn't the only one that looked like hell. At least she'd stopped crying herself into hysterics. "I've just got to wait for those soul-stealing buggers to come along."

There was something about that hopeful look on her face that made him nervous, almost as though he had just committed himself to something he had never done before and had only seen performed a very few times. Inuyasha looked back down at Sesshoumaru … then at Tenseiga … and there was still nothing. He shifted his grip on the sword, but it remained unresponsive. He frowned lightly as he again recalled the speed with which the soul-bearers had come for the humans in Rin's villages. There had not been this long wait …

He seated himself cross-legged on the hard ground as dawn gave way to full morning, Tenseiga clenched in both hands, watching like a hawk. With sudden clarity, he remembered that Sesshoumaru had been trying to tell him something before he had died…something that Inuyasha was now beginning to suspect might have to do with this healing sword that was refusing to help its master.

_It's not going to work for me, is it?_ Inuyasha thought, but he remained still and quiet with Rin and Kagome hovering expectantly over him. _That's what you were going to tell me. _

There was movement behind him. Rin began pacing nervously, no longer able to keep still, her steps carrying her forward and backward in an anxious rhythm. Kagome caught on to the problem and knelt beside him, looking pensive.

"Did it take this long at Rin's village?" she asked quietly.

"No," he replied honestly. The creatures had descended on the humans with great haste, and Inuyasha was becoming certain that this delay was less because of their lax attention and more because of his inability to see them.

"Then he's gone?"

"Yeah," he said, glancing over at her. She was wearing one of those doe-eyed, sympathetic expressions. He frowned back at her.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha."

He made a derisive sound as he got back to his feet, still clutching Tenseiga. "Baka, save your sympathy. It's not my loss." He looked up into the sky to find that the sun was beginning its steady climb toward noon. He paced a few steps away and bent to retrieve Toukijin from where it had been dropped during the battle. 

"I-Inuyasha …" he heard Rin's voice call uncertainly. He straightened, not really liking the idea of having to look at her, but he turned anyway and saw that she had stopped her pacing. She was watching him with a wary expression. "Why---?"

"If Tenseiga was going to save him, it would have by now," he cut her off with his explanation, then silently berated himself as he realized the statement had come out a bit harsher than he had intended. That spark of hopefulness fell quickly back into grief, leaving Inuyasha to wonder what exactly it was about his brother that had perpetuated such devotion in this girl. "Don't cry. He'd hate it."

She nodded stiffly, but avoided looking him in the eye, and Inuyasha figured that his brother might not have done this tormented girl such a favor after all. He extended Tenseiga to her. "Hold onto that for me, will you? Between Sesshoumaru and me, we've got quite an arsenal. I've got enough swords to carry."

She hesitantly reached out to accept it with shaking hands. Without further comment, Inuyasha moved past her. He wasn't good in this type of situation; he wasn't comfortable with grief and sadness. That was something he'd leave for Kagome to help her with. Besides, what words could he say to her? The guy was dead. He clearly wasn't going to come back. Any kind words from him now, considering the long-standing animosity between himself and Sesshoumaru, would likely only sound forced to Rin's ears. 

"Let's go," he announced suddenly, after securing Midoriko's sword and Toukijin beside Tetsusaiga.

"Where are we going?" Kagome asked, looking up at him from where she was kneeling to pick up the fallen jewel shards.  

Inuyasha swept past Rin, bending down to pull Sesshoumaru's limp body onto his back before rising to his feet again, adjusting to the sudden extra weight. "Come on, Rin, Kagome. You two are going to have to walk."

"What are you doing?" Rin asked, sounding alarmed and looking at him as though he had just robbed a grave.

"Do you want me to leave him here?"

"No!" she answered vehemently.

"Then let's go," he said brusquely. "We'll return to where we stayed last night."

Pocketing the last of the shards, Kagome rose to catch up as Inuyasha immediately began stalking off in the direction of the makeshift camp they had set up the night before. She reached out to grab Rin's hand as she hurried after him, pulling the girl along behind her.

"Why back there, Inuyasha? Shouldn't we…shouldn't we take him home?" she asked hesitantly, casting an uncertain glance at the form that was collapsed awkwardly over Inuyasha's back.  

"It's not like he cares, Kagome," Inuyasha replied, pausing to shift Sesshoumaru's weight. _You're a lot heavier than you look_, he thought, as he tried to get a better hold. "I have to find somewhere to leave you two and since we're out in the middle of nowhere, that's going to be the best place. We stayed there long enough for that entire area to absolutely reek of Sesshoumaru, as well as me. No one will try to mess with you there as long as that's the case."

"You're leaving us there?" Kagome asked, looking as though she was already preparing to argue this plan. "What are you doing?"

"Ashrem is either really stupid or unbelievably cocky. His scent is still trackable. I'm going to go after him before it fades."

"Inuyasha …," Kagome began her argument, but he quickly shut her down.

"Don't give me any of that paranoid bullshit, Kagome. That guy just took out someone I've spent decades trying to get a decent shot at. He can't be left to wander around out there. He's going to stir up a lot of trouble. After what I just saw last night, I can guarantee you that Sesshoumaru won't be the last death."  

*****************************************************************************************************************

She could not bring herself to think about it. It physically hurt to even look at him, and she couldn't stand to be away from him. Something awful and morbid rooted her in place, and yet she was grateful for that in an odd way. She didn't want to leave him and she wasn't sure she could have forced herself to stay, if there wasn't for this _thing_ welding her to the ground beside him. 

Inuyasha had already taken his leave, and now it was just herself and Kagome left in a silence that draped heavily over them after his departure. Inuyasha was going to go try to kill Ashrem. _Has he learned nothing from this?_ she wondered, with the vaguest stirrings of panic. But, in a way, she was relieved to see him go. It left her less to worry about, in a sense. She didn't have to be paranoid about suddenly finding herself shoved back into her own mind, a spectator, while _he_ ordered her about. She wouldn't snap out of some sort of half-sleep and find herself staring at Inuyasha's death. 

Kagome had tried to argue the matter with him, but he had been adamant and stubborn and unyielding. Rin knew where she had seen that before. 

As she sat, stiff-backed, painfully dry-eyed, clutching at bent knees, and unable to relax in the least, she stared blankly at Sesshoumaru, as though waiting for some as yet unknown demon trait to kick in and bring him back, to regenerate him. She kept expecting him to wake up and tell her how utterly stupid she was for even thinking that it was possible for _him_ to die.

It was taking a while to understand that this was his death. It felt like hers, too. What was she to do now? Had he just expected her to shrug and live it off? Did he not know her at all? She had seen enough death in her life; it would have been kinder for him to have …._what?_ she wondered. What else could … or would he have done? Walk away from her? That was not Sesshoumaru. She was not nearly as shocked by his actions as Kagome and Inuyasha had been.

She could not actually remember the act of killing him, or fighting him at all for that matter, but her heart could not dismiss that it had been her hands on the other end of that sword, even as her mind tried its best to assuage that sense of responsibility. The idea that he had returned her life to her only to have her deliver his end to him with such cold precision circled ceaselessly through her head. Guilt was a harsh, merciless predator and it was gnawing at her insides like a disease. 

_Is that why you chose to do what you did?_ she wondered, her gaze flickering of its own will to that cold, unresponsive face. Her dry eyes seemed to liquefy and his face blurred as they filled with tears again_. Did you allow yourself to feel guilt? You would say no…you would never admit to such a human failing.  _

Ever the guardian. Keep the little human girl alive. That was how he had always related to her, even from the very beginning when he had not seemed especially pleased to find her trailing behind him when she had had no place else to go. It was completely unfair of her to be angry now. He had done what he had become conditioned to do over the years. He had bought her another six decades of life in exchange for ageless immortality. And what could she do? What could she _possibly_ do with her life to make up for that? 

That thought stirred this new, horrible, clinging guilt. She had not just inadvertently destroyed her dearest friend…it was worse than even that. She loved him, absolutely, devotedly, despite any and all of his harsher qualities. She had for as long as she could remember. First with a childish adoration, and then with a heart that had known all along that, whatever the restrictions, whatever his own true feelings for her were, she could not possibly be content in a life that was separate from him. Where were those feelings supposed to go now? The one they were intended for was gone and she felt like they were repaying her for her deeds by slowly strangling her.   

She wiped at her swollen eyes with the backs of her hands, trying to clear her vision. _Where are you now?_ she wondered fearfully. She had always heard when she was younger that demons were doomed to a tormented, restless afterlife. Surely, that could not be so in his case, not after an act such as his last. That had to have helped make up for anything too terrible he had done in the past. She wondered for a panicked moment if she should have requested Inuyasha to go retrieve his monk friend before he had set off after Ashrem. Miroku. Maybe he would know? Or would at least know what to do? Would prayer help at all?

Absently, her hands clutched Tenseiga, where it rested in her lap. Jaken had often told her that it was and had always been despised by Sesshoumaru. Despite the fact that Rin would have been pleased to never see or touch any sort of weapon again, this was one she would never give up. It was a small bit of comfort to keep something that had been such an integral part of his daily life, an object that had worked thanklessly to keep him and those he chose to revive among the living.

Her hands splayed across the cold metal and she noticed that they were smeared with dried blood. His? Hers? She did not know. She had refused Kagome's repeated attempts to do something about her arm. That wound was well-deserved and she wasn't going to do anything to speed up its healing. When she looked past her hand into Tenseiga's mirror-like gleam, she found she barely recognized herself. Appropriate, considering how different she felt. She was dirty, disheveled, with odd strands of her hair hanging about her face. And these clothes, she thought, glancing down at herself; these strange clothes were covered with even more of it. She was more certain of whose blood that had been. With shaking hands, she pulled at the unfamiliar, heavy armor that clung around her, fumbling to untie it. She tossed it aside piece by piece, pulled it off her shoulders and knees. She yanked her hair free of the ornament that had been holding it back and threw that away from her as well. 

"Rin-chan?" came Kagome's careful voice from behind her.

"Yes?" she asked, not even bothering to turn around, so intent was she on removing these lingering signs of that battle. 

"There's food…I—"

"Not hungry. Arigatou."

"Rin …"

"Just tired, Kagome."

"Then maybe you should come over by …"

"No."

"He's gone, Rin. He doesn't know you're there," Kagome tried again with a sigh. She was not at all certain how healthy it was to be clinging to the dead as Rin was doing. 

"I'm here for me."

_What could she understand of this?_ Rin wondered bitterly, as Kagome took the hint and moved away again. Inuyasha was alive and well. Kagome didn't have these panicked feelings of knowing that very soon she would never be able to see him again. 

She would have to tell Jaken. That appalling thought sprung on her then, and her heart began beating with hard, aching jolts that made her feel certain it was trying to escape the mass confusion that was her current existence. How was she ever to explain to him what had happened? He would hate her, absolutely revile her. Jaken loved him, too, in his own way. He had been with Sesshoumaru for so long…long enough for Rin to know that he understood Sesshoumaru as she did. Under the harsh exterior, lax emotions, and cool detachment was a resolve as far as those whose fate he grudgingly concerned himself with. There was almost never a hint of affection, rarely a sign that he cared in the slightest, but his actions were honest and those were how he demonstrated his feelings. It took years of knowing him to understand that. Jaken knew it well. As did Rin. 

Despite Inuyasha's amazement, that final act had been very Sesshoumaru. Ashrem would feel as though it had been his victory, but, as always, the outcome had been entirely within Sesshoumaru's control. To Sesshoumaru, her death would have meant that his enemy had won. His death had been brought onto himself. In that way, it had been acceptable to his pride. She supposed Ashrem had known that much about him and had capitalized upon it. 

Hesitantly, she reached out and touched that cold hand. It felt foreign, unreal, no longer radiating the natural warmth of a youkai. The claws were jagged and broken, they had turned instantly brittle after the purification had stripped him of his demonic powers. It was almost like a human hand now. _And that's all that separates us?_ she wondered. That intangible aura of power that had clung to him his entire life, the one that was now gone, leaving a very human-like shell ... it seemed like such an insignificant difference to her, yet it had been so important to him.  

But for all of her bitter thoughts, the anger and grief and guilt, there was another less destructive feeling she was experiencing as well. She wrapped both of her hands around his lifeless one, as though the act had any hope of warming the skin. He would hate what was going through her head. She could almost hear him chiding her for being so hysterically human. 

"Arigatou, Sesshoumaru-sama," she whispered, wishing more than anything that he would be able to hear that above all of her other thoughts. 

**********************************************************************************************************

There was no transition between that consuming darkness and the light he suddenly found himself blinking against. Sesshoumaru simply went from death to whatever this was, with no warning, no clear idea of what _this_ was. He was standing ankle-deep in impossibly green grass, a field that extended beyond sight in all directions. There was nothing else, save a cloudless sky and warmth from beams of sunlight that appeared not to have a sun from which to originate. 

_And after all those times Inuyasha told me to go to hell _… , he thought, vaguely amused by the scene in which he now found himself. The hanyou would be terribly disappointed to find that they had not taken his suggestion. Instead of the afterlife of the damned and a cursed semi-existence, it appeared he would spend eternity with … this.

"This is not your afterlife," came a soft voice, one that was very familiar, even though centuries separated the last time he had heard it. "It's just a stopping point."

He looked to his right to find that a young woman with long, black hair was standing beside him, clothed exactly as he had last seen her.

"Midoriko," he said, turning to face her fully, finding that he was somehow not at all surprised by her sudden appearance.

"Sesshoumaru-_sama_," she greeted him with a playful smile, mischievously emphasizing the honorific.

"Are you mocking me?" 

"Just a little bit," she admitted teasingly. 

"Then I can rest assured that it is indeed you," he replied indulgently. He looked up from her familiar face to the solitary landscape around them. His youkai senses were gone, and yet there was no accompanying feeling of sensory blindness. How strange that this place seemed to lift something off of him, as though he had been carrying an enormous weight he had never been aware of before. "How real is this?"

"I'm not sure how to answer that," she said with a small laugh. "It is as real as your death, but it's not permanent." She tilted her head slightly. "And do you want to know something that I find fascinating?"

"You're going to tell me, anyway," he guessed.

She grinned widely at him, as though she had just been vindicated in a long-standing argument. "This place is where one waits for their soul to move on. It manifests itself differently for everyone that passes through here. If you are a horrible, detestable creature that relishes death and destruction, that is what you will find waiting for you. It says a lot about you that this is what you came to."

"It's quiet. I like quiet."

"It reflects a soul that recognizes itself as not having earned a contented afterlife, and yet does not judge itself as deserving of a hellish one, either. It tells me that you are honest with yourself, you understand that you are not precisely good, but certainly not evil."

"Are you here to judge my soul?" he asked wryly. If so, he had the feeling he was about to get off very easily. 

"No one can judge their soul better than themselves, Sesshoumaru," she told him. "You have left some very sad people behind. Does it surprise you to hear that?"

"I expected that from Rin," he answered her.

"Inuyasha is trying to save you."

He glanced up at the blank sky, as though expecting to see his brother's face still hovering over him. "He will be unsuccessful. Tenseiga will not function for him. I know that as certainly as anything."

"He does not know that yet. Quite an effort from the brother that detests you."

"It would have been something for him to rub into my face."

"He does not want your death. And you do not hate him, not anymore."

"Ah, and have you become omniscient over these past decades, Midoriko?"

"No," she said as she placed her arm through his in a friendly gesture. "But I know you both very well; well enough to make you very uncomfortable, I think, my friend," she said, laughing at the forbidding look he gave her. "You see, I can make judgments as an outsider, while you are blinded by years of pride, conflict, arrogance, and bitterness, yours over his human heritage and Inutaisho-sama's decision to die for him, his over your blame and obvious dislike."

"You must have been excessively bored during these last two centuries to have spent so much time on so simplistic and inaccurate an analysis," he told her, feeling uncomfortable at the thought of her being able to pull things out of his head and heart.

"And you are far more complex than you will ever admit to," she replied easily. A silence descended between them, and then she added, "It is so good to see you, Sesshoumaru." 

He frowned at her, surprised, in a way, to hear her say that. "Why have you been avoiding me? Why speak to Rin instead?"

"I was gathering my nerve," she said with a trace of humor. "Things were a little awkward between us in those last days, if you will remember. The idea of facing you has been difficult. And, no," she said emphatically, with upraised eyebrows, "I have not been angry with you."

"Stop that," he said, irritated. 

"My affection for you remains unchanged. I know that you did what you could," she informed him, ignoring his complaint. "And despite those years when you reveled in being cold-hearted and heavy-handed, you have emerged as someone who is capable, at times, of great kindness."

"You have clearly succumbed to senility."

She laughed at that pronouncement. "I will admit that it sometimes takes the most drastic of situations to initiate something heartfelt from you, but the fact remains that you are not as awful as you like to think you are. Rin would agree with that."

"She has viewed me as her savior for the past eight years. That has skewed how she sees me. Only recently has she become acquainted with what is actually fact." 

"She is kinder in her judgment of you than you are." 

Certain that this must surely be the most frustrating, circular conversation in which he had ever participated, Sesshoumaru looked up as the air seemed to darken and the landscape around them began to shrink, subtly at first and then with growing speed. In the distance, there were what looked to be dozens and dozens of small specks coming in their direction, creatures that were shooting toward them as if drawn. A look behind him showed that they were approaching from all sides, and as they came closer, Sesshoumaru recognized them for what they were. He had complicated their job on more than one occasion.

"Soul-Bearers," he said.

Midoriko nodded at this assessment and then, without explanation, reached out for his hand and grasped it. She then extended her fingers as though to clasp onto the one that was missing. Sesshoumaru nearly made a snide comment about this attempt, but the unformed words died in his throat when his shoulder began to tingle strangely. Before he could turn his head to inspect this strange phenomena, Midoriko had already latched onto the long-missing left hand.  He looked down in open astonishment and, as though to prove its realness, tested this newly-regrown hand by flexing the fingers. They responded as though they had never been severed from him. 

"You should not even be here," she told him, looking very serious for the first time since she had arrived. Sesshoumaru glanced up expectantly as the first of the creatures swept down toward him, mouths open in a cawing racket that pierced his ears. 

He had no clear idea of what to expect in this situation, as he had always been the one to interrupt them in the past, but he could admit to no small amount of surprise when their progress was interfered with by a force other than himself and Tenseiga. Several of the creatures impacted with a barrier and were knocked backward, screeching cries of annoyance.

"I won't let them take you. I need you to help me," Midoriko said, ignoring the creatures as though they were of no consequence. Immediately they began shrilly chattering to themselves in confusion.

"I am hardly in a position to do that at this point," he reminded her as he turned from watching the raucous fit that was being pitched all around them.

"I'm going to send you back. I need you to kill Ashrem."

"Gladly," he said with no small amount of sarcasm.

"I am very serious," she said, her fingers digging into his palms as though to emphasize that point. "The Shikon no Tama was an accident, Sesshoumaru. It has caused so much pain and destruction, and I have been unable to do anything about it. I have never fully controlled it. There has always been someone else there, someone lurking behind me, thwarting me. It cannot be destroyed until his link to me is severed. If you can kill him, I can take care of the Shikon no Tama."

"Will you be able to move on then?"

"I don't know," she admitted, and suddenly she looked far older than the eternally youthful girl that had apparently come to revoke his death. "Does that matter? It is absolutely necessary. I'm not sure what will happen, but I know that it will be better for everyone, no matter the outcome." She squeezed even more tightly onto his hands. "I am gone, Sesshoumaru. There's no way to save me. If you can do this, then we can prevent a lot of harm. You have already seen what the Shikon no Tama can become in the possession of someone with dark intentions. Ashrem is not evil, but his heart is consumed with hatred and a need for revenge. He feels that he is doing right, that what he is doing will preserve humans. The Shikon no Tama will devour him."

Sesshoumaru nodded, though how precisely to kill a man who could force Midoriko to defend him at will was something that did not immediately come to mind. 

"Inuyasha has already gone to seek him out. There will be others waiting for him. He could use your help," she said, the concern on her face easily readable. "And … don't dismiss him. He is not weak. You don't give him nearly enough credit."

"That is a matter of opinion."

"Ja ne, my friend," she said with a serene smile, not bothering to argue with him. She could hear his thoughts as surely as if they were her own and decided not to discomfort him further by acknowledging that fact … or by the expectation of a long goodbye. She released his hands. "Rin is waiting for you."

***************************************************************************************************************

Kagome felt certain she had never been this worried and exhausted in her entire life. Despite her attempts at arguing with his decision, Inuyasha had returned them to the camp and, after asking her if she would be able to defend herself with the shards, had departed on his hunt. She had said yes, knowing that she could, but now wished she had told him otherwise. Perhaps he would not have been so quick to leave them if he had thought they were helpless. Every time her eyes had swept toward the sad form of Rin and her silent vigil with Sesshoumaru, it made her heart clench with a nervous fear. She did not want to have to experience that grief.

At least Rin had finally shown some signs of life. The shock of the day had faded and she had suddenly pulled herself to her feet, expressing an intent to go clean herself up. Kagome had been prepared to go with her, but was stopped by her friend's request for her to stay behind with Sesshoumaru. Kagome could not summon much grief over the fallen demon lord; she did not know him well enough to do so, but she did hurt for Rin, and even Inuyasha. She knew that there had been a time when Inuyasha had not so despised his brother. He had been bothered by Sesshoumaru's death, even if he was not one to express it in words. There was a lot of unfinished business between them, unresolved either for better or worse.  

The sun was beginning to set once more and Kagome could not escape the haunting feeling that, only twenty-four hours earlier, she and Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had been searching for Rin. How quickly things changed. It was a creepy feeling, being left alone under a darkening sky with the lifeless taiyoukai. She shivered lightly as the wind picked up and blew through, provoking the fire into a flickering frenzy. There was a strange feeling lingering in the air, one that was accompanied by an odd squawking call from within the forest.

She looked suspiciously around her, over her shoulders, but saw nothing. She cast a nervous glance at the body beside her, wondering if there was something ominous in the woods around her that was becoming braver as the day-old scent of taiyoukai and hanyou began to steadily fade. Kagome looked away from him again ... and then glanced back a second time, forehead furrowed in confusion. 

His markings were back. 

Kagome got to her knees and moved for a closer look. She was not imagining things, they had all returned to color, even the ones on his hand, standing brilliantly out against his skin. She forced herself to blink, watching in awed bewilderment as the dark, dull hair regained its luster, and his skin color warmed up from waxy to something a little too healthy for Kagome to be certain of her sanity. Suddenly he was looking far less like a corpse, and more like he was taking a well-deserved nap. 

She bent closer, trying to listen for any sound of life ... and was nearly pitched into a heart attack when he jolted awake with a spasming jerk, youkai instincts reflexively reaching out to grasp painfully onto the spectator that was Kagome. She was too astonished to even try to pull away. 

Sesshoumaru's eyes opened and he was immediately disoriented. He recognized the "unknown threat" and released his hold on the person that was bent over him, quite disappointed that it had not turned out to be Ashrem. He had gone from Midoriko and that ethereal station between life and afterlife, to a darkening sky and Inuyasha's miko wearing what might possibly be the most ridiculous expression he had ever seen formed by a human face. 

"Sess … Sesshoumaru?" Kagome gasped, completely at a loss for what to say, sounding as though she was entirely prepared to believe that he was a figment of a frighteningly overactive imagination.

"Yes?" he asked blandly as he sat up, feeling idly for a gaping chest wound that no longer existed. He inspected his surroundings and found that he was now back at the small clearing where they had waited for Ashrem to summon them. 

"Are you ... all right?" Kagome's voice sounded uncertain. 

He glanced back at her, withholding the more insulting comment that first came to mind. "I would say this is an improvement, miko, yes." His voice sounded unused and odd to his own ears. A glance noted that the now foreign, unexpected weight of his left arm was as real as it had been when Midoriko had regenerated it. 

"Your arm …," Kagome murmured, her mind still whirling with the insanity of what had just occurred. He had revived himself without the use of Tenseiga and had regained a lost arm in the process. It was too strange to be believed. 

"Prepare to leave," he ordered her, rising to his feet. He glanced down in irritation to find that Toukijin was not with him. "The hanyou took my sword," he muttered.

"Yes, he went to find Ashrem. He didn't want to leave it here with ...," she trailed off, not wanting to voice the fact that Inuyasha had not been willing to leave a usable weapon behind because of Rin.

"Where is she?" he asked, but as the words came out of his mouth, his sense of smell picked up on Rin's location. Without further comment, he moved to go retrieve her, but was stopped by Kagome's appalled voice.

"You can't just walk up to her! You'll give her a stroke!" Kagome exclaimed. "She's taken all of this really hard, you know. Let me go get her."

Sesshoumaru pointed a finger at the fire and said in a no-nonsense tone, "Put that out. If it's still there when I return, I'm leaving you here."

With that order, Sesshoumaru turned and stalked off into the woods, his senses of smell and hearing working to pinpoint Rin. Her scent was clashing with that of running water, making it an even simpler matter to locate her. He swept soundlessly past trees that were glazed a deep orange by the fading sunset, following a sightless path further and further into the darkening forest. The animals around him went still and quiet, waiting for this new and threatening presence to move past them before resuming motion.

As he descended a thickly treed slope, the sound of a water current became very apparent and he was suddenly uncertain of the wisdom in this. Perhaps it would have been better to send Kagome to warn her first, but the need to reach Inuyasha's confrontation with Ashrem left little time for such careful maneuvering. Rin had certainly had enough shock and difficulty over the past few days, but this one was unavoidable. 

He found her standing waist-deep in the water of a slowly-moving stream, still ensconced in the strange, form-fitting black attire Ashrem had provided for her, but the armor was gone now and she was scrubbing at the coarse material with a vengeance. Soaked head to toe, hair soppily hanging around her shoulders, hands moving with a rapidity born of frustration, she gave off the image of a very cold, very tired, very sad young woman. As much as he disliked that she was encumbered by such things, it reminded him of why he had been brought to such a fatal decision. He had been motivated to save someone at his own expense because he had been certain that person's heart would grieve for him. How strange.

Not knowing what to say in such a bizarre situation, and hoping to somehow avoid the emotional scene he felt certain he was about to evoke, he called calmly, "Rin ... let's go."   

She whirled at the sound, her heart giving a gigantic thump of recognition even as her mind judged that her sanity had just fled. But he was there, physically there, restored and perfect...save for the blood-stained clothes that he still wore. Somehow that made him even more real. 

He walked down to the shore, watching patiently as she splashed through the stream's current, certain that, in her haste, she was going to find a way to slip and drown herself. Stepping into the gently swirling water, he extended a hand to help pull her out, the contact of skin against skin appearing to verify him to her as real and present. A sound somewhere between a cry and a shriek practically collapsed his ear drums as the unabashedly drenched Rin plastered herself to him, thin, dripping arms circling his neck in a crushing grip as a curtain of long, wet hair smacked him in the face.

 He hated hysterical scenes ... but he'd forgive this one.

Aware that he was now nearly as soaked as she was...and even more certain that the iron grip she had on him was not going to lessen any time soon, he moved back a few steps and sat them down on the shore, Rin seated awkwardly in his lap. Her knees dug into his legs as she clung to him like a second skin, expelling a heartful of grief in great tearful sobs that registered as little more than gibberish to even his select hearing. He did finally pick out a few words, including repeated apologies that struck him uncomfortably as an admission of guilt. He had not even considered that before, but he did not think like her, and thus had not even considered the possibility that she would feel responsible for his death. He often forgot that she was not always as logical as he. It was ridiculous ... and so very human of her.

Finally he said, "If you persist in wallowing in this unwarranted responsibility, then you will force me to admit my own guilt. I should have recognized what was happening before it escalated beyond my control, but I am not one to accept the weight of guilt. It's pointless and unproductive. I will not be at all pleased if you burden me with it."

She picked her head up from his shoulder and looked him in the face, her eyes a swimming pool of tears. He could still see it hovering around her, shadowing her thoughts. He was aware now that the end of that battle was likely something that would remain with her for a while, but he wanted to say what he could to shorten that time.

He lowered his head until their faces were mere inches apart, forming an expression of great seriousness. "That was a battle between myself and Ashrem. You were merely a bystander. I never thought differently."

She inhaled a shuddering breath and threaded her fingers into his hair. She was shaking, either from emotion or the effect of cool evening air sliding past her dripping body. "Is this … are you here to stay?" she asked uncertainly.

"Do I feel like a ghost?" he asked, amused at the way she kept clutching at different parts of him, as though testing to see whether or not he would disintegrate at her touch.

"No."

"Did you honestly think something as pitiful as _Death_ could beat me?" he asked, eyebrows raised in affected annoyance. "I have had far worthier opponents."

Her tentative smile returned as she recalled that she had imagined just such a sentence coming from him hours earlier, at a time when she had been certain he was gone forever. "You have a tremendous ego."

"Hai," he agreed instantly.  

"You're really okay?"

"Perfectly."

"Please don't ever do that again. You've got to stop acting like my guardian."

"That was not the act of your guardian," he replied, reaching for her arm, his eyes sweeping down to inspect it, but there was no sign of that cursed mark. At least the bastard was leaving her alone now that he thought his enemy to be safely deceased. Sesshoumaru turned the arm over and recognized the deep, oozing claw marks from where he had removed the Shikon shards. This was certainly going to scar...and he was grateful that this was all that would come out of Ashrem's plotting. The man was going to die very soon and Sesshoumaru wanted to make certain it was he who ended that life, not his brother.

"You need to do something about this," he advised Rin quietly, releasing the arm and looking up to find her staring at him with a very intense expression. He could sense what was coming and she verified it a moment later when she opened her mouth.

"Sesshoumaru, there is something I want to tell---"

He headed her off quickly, making an effort at a kinder tone. "I know there is, but now is not the time. My mangy brother is about to find himself significantly outnumbered." 

She quieted down and then nodded. Sesshoumaru disentangled himself from her and got to his feet, pulling her up with him. It took her a moment to register that he was now using two hands. 

"Your arm ... it's regenerated," she murmured, fingers lightly brushing the marks on his left wrist, the ones that matched his right exactly. She looked back up at him questioningly

"It was a parting gift from the one who enabled my return," he revealed with a slight smile. "Midoriko sends her regards."

************************************************************************************************************************

He leapt down into a low, treeless, spread-out valley, his sense of smell setting off an alarm that told him Ashrem was very near. Tetsusaiga was already drawn and transformed, as it was also extremely apparent that Ashrem had friends with whom he was meeting. Youkai friends. Or perhaps his next round of victims? Inuyasha didn't really care. The jerk's end was still going to be the same.

Inuyasha stalked silently ahead, eyes roving suspiciously back and forth, waiting for the slightest suggestion of movement. It was time to be done with this affair. He felt like he'd spent most of his life tracking that jewel; he wanted to be finished with it. The last orange rays of daylight were spilling over his shoulders from behind, casting the valley in a deceptively peaceful glow. It wasn't going to stay quiet here for very much longer. He fully intended on being back with Kagome and Rin before dark. 

"Ashrem!" he finally called out. "You're stinking up this entire valley, so you can quit the hide-and-seek act! Why don't you come on out and actually fight a battle man to man, huh? I don't have all night. Let's make this quick and ugly, got it?"

The silence returned as he continued forward, ears perked, but he did not have long to wait before Ashrem called out an answer.

"Ah, the renowned half-demon, Inuyasha, and his Tetsusaiga, no less. I am honored. However, I must admit to being curious as to why you have come for me with such blatant hostility. Have I not just done you a great service?" he called with convincing innocence.

Inuyasha smirked as he turned to look behind him, watching as Ashrem slowly made his way down one of the sloping sides of the landscape, appearing very casual and nonchalant. "And what sort of 'service' are you referring to?"

"Your brother is dead. Isn't that something you've wanted for a very long time? He's always treated you rather shabbily, wouldn't you say? And your poor, deceased mother ... it was so unkind of him, the things he said to her following your father's death. Don't you remember?"

Inuyasha frowned, wondering at this personal information that was being spat back at him by a complete stranger. "My problems with Sesshoumaru were none of your business and, to be perfectly honest, I don't appreciate you involving yourself. Now I'm never going see how that fight would have ended. That's pretty damned irritating. I'll grant you Sesshoumaru earned a lot of bad karma. He had a nasty death heading his way, but it shouldn't have come from you."

Ashrem smiled indulgently at this complaint. "Don't tell me you're here for revenge, Inuyasha. He's really not worth it."

Inuyasha turned Tetsusaiga so that it was pointing threateningly at the darkly-robed, annoyingly unperturbed human man. "Hell, yes, I'm here for some revenge. I've got plenty of frustration to take out on you. I've just had to spend the last day around some poor girl who's crying her eyes out over that old dog. I don't appreciate being knocked into my human form by that stupid sword. You've mucked up a perfectly good sibling rivalry. And you've been screwing around with Kagome and that jewel way too much for your own health."

Ashrem nodded, as though admitting to these sins. "Yes, yes. Some of those things are quite regrettable, but became necessary. You forget, though, that I still control the Shikon no Tama. Do you want to experience an end like your brother's?"

Inuyasha gave a short barking laugh and took another step closer. This time Ashrem decided it might be wise to retreat back a few steps. "You know what's funny about that, Ashrem? I don't think I _can_ be purified. Sesshoumaru's always mocked my human blood, but I'm thinking that it's about to come in handy. You can only purify half of me, bastard."

Ashrem frowned lightly, appearing thoughtful as he considered that point. "Even if it does not kill you, your sword will not remain transformed without your demon powers."

"I've got two perfectly good hands to strangle you with, pal."

Ashrem chuckled then, though he did look a little nervous at the prospect of hand-to-hand combat with an angry half-demon. "It doesn't matter. I have no intention to fight you," he stated as his hand disappeared into his robes, as though reaching for something. 

Inuyasha picked that moment to leap at him, but before his attack could meet its target, he impacted with a barrier that tossed him effortlessly backward. He rolled from a sprawl to his feet within an instant, glaring at his opponent even as the sounds of several rapidly approaching individuals reached his ears.

_Youkai_, he thought, recalling the scents he had picked up on when he had first arrived in the valley. Sure enough, this assumption was verified by the figures that began descending toward him, some appearing to have affected a human form, others not even bothering. Inuyasha raised Tetsusaiga again as a pair of demons dropped down in front of Ashrem, blocking the human man from view. 

"Finish with all of them, Inuyasha, and I will be glad to fight you," Ashrem called, sounding bemused.

"Not a problem," Inuyasha replied with a mean smile as Tetsusaiga's energy began to swirl and build. "Like I told you, Ashrem … I've got a lot of frustration to vent."   

******************************************************************************************************************

**Helllllllllllllllll yeah, start kicking some ass, Inuyasha! LOL! … okay, it's been a long day. I'm surprised I managed to finish this one up so quickly. It was a tough one, because it involves a lot of emotional stuff … I'm thinking … too much? Too little? Who knows? ;)**

**This was supposed to be the last real chapter, but I realized early on that there was just no way that was going to happen. There was too much to get to and I didn't want to rush things. So … Chapter 20 is going to have to be where Ashrem gets clobbered. **

**Oh, and I killed Sesshy off for many reasons, the most important of which were:**

**1.) ****Basically, it's gonna take something drastic to give that guy some perspective on things. I thought his own death might just be drastic enough.**

**2.) ****I had to get him and Midoriko together for that conversation … hey, the girl's just floating around out there. His death solved that problem, too.**

**3.) ****Okay, this one is less significant, yet still perfectly valid. I got to give him his arm back. That's basically for my own convenience … it's strange having to check for errors like referring to a one-armed character's "arms" or "hands". Had to watch the plurals for the last 19 chapters. ;)**

**To the reviewers:**

**_HolyDark:_ Thank you. Yeah, I felt terrible for him, too. What a bad way to go … but he made a surprising comeback. ;)**

**_Aiwendil Amaurea:_ Don't worry about it … I still owe you a review on the last few chapters of one of your stories, a story I finished forever ago. LOL! I get terribly back-logged on reviews. It takes me forever to form a coherent thought, believe it or not. And I worried that it was too emotional, really … I didn't want it to come off that way, but it might have.**

**_Noir12:_ It's fixed! ;) I couldn't stand it, either. Poor guy. He's got a long way to go on the whole "him & Rin" thing, but he's improving. I think he's eventually just going to come to the conclusion that they're just … together. It just happened somehow … weird … ;)**

**_SessRinFan:_ Thank you! I really was so sorry to do it to him, but I listed my many reasons above…it was convenient and dramatic. Naturally, I had to do it! ;) **

**_Cyhiraeth:_ Agreed, I tried to make it a noble death because nothing else would fit him (despite what Inuyasha says!). And, nope, Inuyasha couldn't use Tenseiga…that would have made things far too easy! Besides, like I mentioned earlier, it was an excellent way to get Midoriko to come see him. **

**_New Fan:_ Well, I called it weakness because that's what was being contemplated by Sesshy and, really, that's what Rin is for him. And, yeah, it was certainly not a weak thing to do, but he's looking at it from a youkai perspective, so to him, it might seem a little weak. **

**_Sesshoumaru'sFirefly:_ Awww, sorry about the tearing up thing. ****L It was definitely a sad one to write. When I posted it up here, I was kind of like … "What have I done?!" LOL! Ohhhh, and don't worry … Ashrem will be taken care of. *evil cackle***

**_CurlsofSerenity:_ Aggggggh!!! God, woman … call off the hamster army!! And speaking of which, have you heard the Hamtaro theme song? It's so catchy … it just sticks in my head until I feel like I need to beat it out ….  Besides, he's back … I'm not going to be a Hamster Happy Meal. ;)**

**_Ailian Rhys:_ I totally understand … I owe so many stories reviews, it's completely unreal. I have got to get to those … I'll agree, that chapter was a bit on the morbid side, but I figured…the guy's dying. If something's actually capable of killing him, it's going to have to be a nasty way to go. Thanks for the sweet words about my writing…you are far too kind. ;) This review was what made me go with that whole long scene with Rin mulling over all that terrible stuff. I decided to go with it that way, instead of going back and forth between her reaction and the other characters. It would have been kind of dizzying, since she's really the only one who would have a strong reaction to his death. Hopefully it didn't come off as weird. Awww … yeah, I liked how you put that about Inuyasha. I didn't think of it that way at the time, but that's definitely what I was going for. He may not like Sesshoumaru, but after seeing him go like that, he certainly wasn't going to point and laugh. I thought he'd feel kind of bad for him. I tried to make him sound like it was a grudging thing … having to bring him back. But I figured he'd want to make sure and let Sesshoumaru know that he was willing to do it.  **

**_Sashlea:_ LOL! Yeah …. I don't know. I'm working on plotting out the next story, and I think you may be wrong. ;) But the "sequel" will take place about a year or so after this one, so she'll have had some time to get over the trauma. **

**_Ourania:_ FOFL! You crack me up. Eeek … scared me a second there, though. I thought I'd brought on a heart attack. ;) I am so sorry to have killed your Sesshy, but it really was very necessary. He is quite alive now, though, and shall remain that way! Promise.:D**

**_Allie:_ I hang my head in shame. He's fine now … honestly. Not even a scratch! I could never, ever permanently kill him. Or anyone from the series. Well, except for Naraku and Kikyou, since they are very dead in this fic ….**

**_Silver Spell:_ I totally understand … it's crazy nuts here, too. I'm horrible to be sitting here writing this, when I really should be doing homework, but, hey … I have my priorities straight. :D And thank you!**

**_Silvermuse89:_ I know … wasn't that the worst cliffhanger? Just kill a guy and leave it like that? I hate it when people do that. That's probably why I was motivated to get this next chapter out so quickly. I was just sad that I didn't get to squeeze in some Ashrem ass-kicking. Ah, well … I get to start on that now that this chapter is done. :D And thank you so much! That's a very sweet thing to say. I'm hoping it'll be better than this one … it'll be a lot less complicated, that's for sure. ;)**


	20. Stay With Me

This was certainly a different type of flying. Kagome had experienced the stomach-dropping sensation of taking off in an airplane. She had become accustomed to Kirara over the years; the flying cat's soaring movement was similar to that of a horse. As long as you had strong leg muscles and a good grip on Kirara's fur, you were okay. Traveling with Sesshoumaru on his terms, however, had none of the security of Kirara or a modern aircraft, and plenty of the height. 

She squinted her eyes open and they were immediately stung by long strands of silver hair that were whipped back by the wind to poke at her like sharp needles. A quick glance down told her that they were now even higher than the last time she had checked. The treetops looked like a vast, dark carpet across the landscape. Despite the fact that he had certainly mellowed out some since she had first met him, Kagome was not at all comfortable with the idea of Sesshoumaru's left hand being all that stood between her and a long, nasty fall.

"And you're … you're sure this arm is … well-attached?" she asked as delicately as she could over the wind, coughing as she found herself inhaling a mouthful of hair. She instantly regretted the question. 

The hand that was clamped onto her leg loosened its hold and immediately Kagome slid off his back with a shriek of surprise, hands flailing futilely outward to get a stronger grasp on his sleeve. Her fingers slipped past cloth and she found herself in what felt like a year's worth of open air before that hand circled her wrist, leaving her to dangle for several mean-spirited, purposeful seconds before pulling her back up. 

"I'm sure," he replied without even the barest flicker of expression. 

Kagome responded by clutching onto him like a spooked cat, her fingernails instinctively clawing into his neck and shoulder until he briefly considered dropping her for good.

"Jerk," she muttered behind his ear.

Rin looked over at Kagome from her perch behind his right shoulder. "Okay, Kagome-chan?" she called. She was aware that Sesshoumaru had a dark sense of humor and, though it did not show itself often, was generally amusing only to him. This was one of those times. 

She had been surprised that he had suggested this means of locating Inuyasha and Ashrem. Sesshoumaru almost _never_ lowered himself so much as to allow others to use him as a mode of transportation; he had commented before about how Inuyasha had degenerated into Kagome's "pack-mule". The fact that he had been willing to travel this way tonight gave her a clue as to his hurry.

The entirety of the last two days seemed so far-off and surreal. The one she was holding onto now had that familiar warmth once more, created by a body that was far more efficient that any human's could ever be. She was having difficulty reconciling the memories of watching his death with how very alive he was now. This simply did not happen among humans … and he was acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred at all. But, then again, he was not human and so the permanence of death did not carry the same weight for him as it did for her kind. 

There was a dull fear within her that was rapidly growing as they approached the immediacy of a battle, but it was something she was able to push back with the security of one fact: he was wearing Tenseiga again. She had returned it to him as soon as she had gotten over the shock of his sudden revival, and he had accepted it wordlessly. At least she could be certain he wouldn't throw it away again. No matter what, Tenseiga would take care of him. It always had. 

Her head came up when a bright arc of light shot up in the distance, pushing back the dimness in a brilliant display of energy that must certainly have come from a fight between demons. Rin realized now exactly why Sesshoumaru had been motivated to take to the air: not only was it faster, he had known Tetsusaiga would lead them to the battle more quickly and efficiently than following Inuyasha's scent. 

Sesshoumaru instantly dropped into a descent, sending Rin's insides into a sudden jerk that went along with the controlled freefall. Within moments, there was a light scraping of tree leaves and branches against her sleeves and legs, before all forward motion came to a halt. Rin and Kagome dropped off of his back, both watching as he eyed the black forest that encapsulated them like a cave.

"Why did you stop so far out?" Kagome questioned with an anxious frown. "We should hurry. He's already found them!"

"What do you intend to fight with?" Sesshoumaru asked her in return.

"I … ," Kagome trailed off as she recognized that, indeed, she had nothing with which to contribute to the battle, save six jewel shards. Her bow and arrows had been abandoned within the shambles of Sesshoumaru's home.

"Precisely," Sesshoumaru replied. "Stay here until we return for you."

Rin kept her mouth shut, but did not at all like the idea of losing sight of him. He would not appreciate being held up by her worries and so she kept them to herself. The sky above the treetops lit up with a yellow-white light that signaled another attack. He peered up at it, too, and then glanced back down at her. Apparently she was not nearly as good at keeping the anxiety off of her face as she was at squashing it into silence. 

"This won't take long," he said for her benefit, then turned and all but dissolved into the growing darkness, leaving them behind with the thin, skeletal trees and the distant rumbling of a battle.

The girls peered around at their surroundings for a moment, neither saying a word until Kagome finally declared, "If he thinks I'm just going to stand here, he's wrong."

"He does expect that," Rin replied, looking nervously over her shoulder as a light scratching sound came from behind her. She would trust his senses. Obviously there was nothing dangerous nearby or he would not have left. "I'm not sure that we should go find them, Kagome. I think we would distract them," she said, the image of Ashrem coming to mind even as she finished the sentence. She would _not_ be another diversion.

"We'll stay out of the way," Kagome answered, sounding as though her mind was already made up. "I'd just like to be a little closer than this. The Shikon no Tama is involved, Rin. I can feel it." She turned an intent, brown-eyed gaze on Rin, her face set with the decision. "Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru may have the weapons, but they don't have the ability to see those shards."

*****************************************************************************************************

Inuyasha did not even take the time to watch as the Bakuryuuha disintegrated one of his opponents, instead he whirled around with barely enough time to block against another attack, this one from a demon with frost-white hair and an expression that had lost some of its cockiness after witnessing pieces of his comrade litter the ground in gory clumps.

Kaze no Kizu was not working well against this varied group of demons and Inuyasha had a suspicion that that was because they were making use of Shikon shards. He had been forced to step up his own attacks, not a great situation to be in as it meant that he would wear out more quickly. He just had to make certain that he did not wear out before he had finished the rest of them.

Instinct told him to leap out of the way as a clawing attack from a cat demon cut through the air, one that was not well-aimed as it nearly took out the snow demon instead. A double-bladed weapon slashed just past his neck, making the air whistle with the slicing motion. He turned to meet this weapon, Tetsusaiga clashing loudly against it, the reverberations of the impact crawling up his arms. Out of the corners of his eyes, he could see others lurking, waiting. 

He was suddenly not so sure that he'd be back with the girls by dark, especially now that the sky was turning a heavy purple. He was aware that Ashrem had not left this time; Inuyasha caught split-second glimpses of the human man, who was standing in the distance, arms crossed in full expectation of another death. Inuyasha did not know if Ashrem was actually intent upon fulfilling his bargain to fight once his demon defenders had been destroyed, or if he was waiting to see if they would finish what he had incited them to start. Nor did it matter overly much. Ashrem's head was going to roll for this. 

Though Inuyasha was quite aware that the odds were stacked fairly well against him in this fight, he absolutely refused to die like this. There was no way in hell he was going to let _Sesshoumaru's_ enemy beat him. If he could outlive Naraku, he could certainly do the same with this guy. He and Kagome were finally together again, and a few short months didn't make up for a lost four years. They owed each other a lot more than that, especially after all the difficulty the Shikon no Tama had brought to their lives. Kagome was not going to have to experience Rin's loss.  

Inuyasha dove out of the way as a spear-like weapon was thrown at him, embedding itself with exceptional force in the grass where he had been standing. Tetsusaiga came up to collide with the sword of another, creating a deafening clang. He had stopped trying to discern exactly what sort of demon he was fighting at any given instant, they were all a whirling, assorted mix of leering faces and cold eyes, attempting to deliver a fatal blow with an enthusiasm matched only by his own retaliation.

Tetsusaiga locked with a blade that flashed dangerously, as though possessed, and Inuyasha found himself looking into the face of its owner, one who was eyeing him with a corpse-like calm that only made him angrier.  

He was going back to Kagome. 

He was going to take care of a burial.

And he was damn well going to have ramen for dinner.  

Inuyasha shoved violently against his opponent's stalemated sword, knocking the demon slightly off-balance and taking that moment of weakness to fire off another Bakuryuuha. The demon's attempt to escape the blast turned out to be futile and he was reduced to smoldering parts before Inuyasha's eyes. 

The hanyou whirled again to face those that had been lingering behind him, the smug smile crossing his face again.

"Four down, seventeen to go."

******************************************************************************************************

From a safe distance Ashrem looked on as the hanyou fought Shinosuke's demon allies with an impressive viciousness. It spoke highly of him that he was doing so well; the human blood that ran through his veins seemed to have abdicated to that which had come from Inutaisho. It was not overly surprising, merely interesting. Inutaisho had been exceptionally strong; it was logical that even his half-breed child would be a match for most youkai. _But not for all of them_, he thought with certainty. 

It had not been his intention for Inuyasha to die; if nothing else, Ashrem felt slightly sorry for the half-demon. He could still well recall Inutaisho's tendency to involve himself with human women, a despicable character flaw that had eventually resulted in the birth of the pitiful creature that was currently fighting to preserve his own life. Half-demons experienced both sides of the war between humans and demons; they were persecuted by both species until they were either destroyed or found a way to defend themselves. 

And that had been the purpose of Tetsusaiga. Inutaisho had been aware of exactly what he had done, what harm he had inadvertently brought to the boy through his own thoughtless lust and selfishness. That sword had been forged to allow Inuyasha to protect himself when his father was no longer there to do it. Sesshoumaru had wanted to take even that from him.

_And yet Inuyasha still rises to his dead brother's defense_, Ashrem mused. It was inexplicable. Or perhaps that was what had come from Inuyasha's mother; the human ability to forgive, to exceed differences when a situation such as this arose. Ashrem had underestimated Inuyasha's heart. From the years he had spent within the Shikon no Tama, the things he had seen, heard, felt … he would never have credited such a reaction to Inuyasha. But, apparently, there were still remnants of that half-breed pup who had made the poor decision to admire his older brother during those first years, that small segment of time before Sesshoumaru had made it glaringly apparent that Inuyasha's worth, or lack thereof, was directly related to the misfortune of his human ancestry. 

It was pathetic, really. If the situation had been reversed, Sesshoumaru would not have purposefully sought out his brother's killer. Inuyasha's death would have been of little consequence. _To throw away your life for needless revenge on behalf of someone who despised you_, Ashrem thought. _That is far more human than even I am capable of. Strange._

Shinosuke materialized swiftly beside him, looking slightly disheveled from the battle. "He fights like a trapped animal," Shinosuke complained, turning to watch Inuyasha from a safer distance. 

"This is taking too long," Ashrem commented. "With so many, why are you not all setting upon him at once?"

Shinosuke's expression turned icy, and Ashrem could almost swear that the temperature around him had suddenly dropped. "That sword has to be taken seriously. No one wants to be in its path when he swings it, Shikon shards or not. There's no reason to rush. We're just waiting until he wears himself out, then we'll end it." The cold look melted into something bland and unreadable. "Then I assume that the jewel shards belong to me, correct?"

"Of course, Shinosuke-sama," Ashrem agreed readily. "We have made a deal, after all."

"And it appears that that deal is about to be closed," Shinosuke responded, having turned his attention back to the battle. Inuyasha was leveled to the ground by an attack from behind and this time he was much slower to rise. 

"Half-demons … " Ashrem said quietly. "They are such pathetic crea---" He stopped when he noticed that Shinosuke's head had come up sharply, that perfect face contorting into a frown of disbelief as though something beyond Ashrem's senses had just been registered.

"Ashrem, it seems that you have exaggerated the news of your enemy's death," he hissed angrily, eyes narrowing to snake-like slits as he whirled on the human man, long, pale fingers clenching into fists.

Ashrem's own face darkened as he looked up into the distance to a plum-colored sky that hung ominously over a grove of trees. A streaking, star-like ball of light was shooting toward them with appalling speed. It descended amidst the group of youkai in an explosion that threw the battling demons backward in a flailing mix of arms, legs, and weapons. 

Even from his safely distant perch, Ashrem could feel the ground underneath his shoes shudder and shake. His serene confidence evaporated when the glare of light morphed into a physically whole, obviously furious Sesshoumaru. All Ashrem could do was watch this unexpected arrival with tense astonishment.

"I cannot explain," he murmured, more to himself than the wrathful Shinosuke. "How many lives does that creature have?"

He tuned out Shinosuke's scathing response, watching with sick anticipation as the assembled youkai army got back to their feet and reclaimed their weapons. They seemed caught for a long instant in an internal debate as to whether or not the jewel shards would be worth battling a youkai lord and a hanyou that had proven himself to be far more adept than they had expected. 

_They cannot leave_, Ashrem ranted in a petulant silence. He was not at all agreeable to the idea of facing Sesshoumaru on his own. It seemed he would have to break his agreement with Shinosuke a little sooner than he had planned. 

He looked on as the dog demon's smoldering gaze swept up to him, and Ashrem was suddenly certain that if looks could kill, he would have just been reduced to his body's most basic components. With a calm, almost imperceptible movement, Ashrem's hand went to the jewel that hung around his neck.

Shinosuke's tirade stopped. Ashrem looked over at the snow demon, gratified to see the blue mark that stood out on his forehead, a repercussion of the trust Shinosuke had placed in both Ashrem and that Shikon shard. 

Ashrem spoke quietly to his now slack-expressioned accomplice. "You have a battle to attend to, do you not, Shinosuke?" 

***************************************************************************************************

Inuyasha's sight fell on another cat youkai, one who seemed to be silently stating a personal challenge with her fierce stare and her fluid, feline movements. She stepped forward, slowly at first, as though judging him as rigorously as he was studying her. When she came at him this time, it was to repeatedly throw her flame attack at him, putting him completely in a defensive posture, one that distracted him from whatever it was that struck him in the back with an impact that forced the air out if his lungs. 

The cat youkai jumped clear as he was flattened to the ground by what felt like an immense weight. He was slower to get up this time, but as he did push himself back to his feet he lashed out with Tetsusaiga, sweeping out with an attack that was unfocused and did little else but briefly scatter his opponents. Something tugged at his senses then, a warning of impending destruction, but before he could even turn to see what was coming at him, it swooped overhead, an oddly familiar ball of blinding light that descended between him and his youkai opponents, impacting the ground like a stick of dynamite.

Inuyasha was thrown backward by this explosive arrival, finally rolling to a stop. He quickly picked himself back up, readjusting his hold on Tetsusaiga as he glared at the intrusion … and immediately wondered if he had just been hit harder than he had first thought. Dumbstruck, he tried to blink away the image of the demon that was stalking toward him with an expression of intended murder. And, for once, it seemed that look was not meant for him.

"Sesshoumaru!" he exclaimed in amazement, though he felt quite certain that this was the first time he had ever even approached being pleased to see that face showing up to stick its nose in his business. "You lazy mutt! Were you going to leave all of this to me?"

Sesshoumaru regarded him with his usual emotionless stare; only the slight rise of his eyebrows showed that he had registered Inuyasha's words as he approached his brother. "Not if I wanted to see it done correctly."

"I don't do anything half-assed," Inuyasha retorted. "But I can't say I'm surprised to see that hell threw you back out. They didn't want to put up with you either, eh?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes moved from the disheveled Inuyasha to the youkai that were encircling them, noting that some seemed to be far less interested in the fight now that the odds of death had just escalated. It was to their own detriment that they had not chosen to flee before his arrival. Inuyasha was the one who was known to grant survival to those that surrendered. Sesshoumaru was not nearly so lenient.

"You have my sword," Sesshoumaru scowled at Inuyasha as he reached to pull Toukijin free from where it hung at the hanyou's side. 

Inuyasha smirked at him. "You found your arm."

"Leave, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru ordered distractedly, looking up and beyond their immediate assailants to the human man that was staring back at him with a look of utter disbelief. The snow demon Shinosuke was at his side, gesticulating angrily as he apparently gave Ashrem a stern earful.

"Are you kidding me?" Inuyasha's voice asked incredulously, causing Sesshoumaru to look away from his target and instead to the obstinate hanyou. "Go take another nap. I'm busy."

"Then stay out of my way," Sesshoumaru snapped, his face contorting into something more reminiscent of a canine. 

There was a build of energy that Inuyasha recognized and instinctively stepped away from. Sesshoumaru's human body morphed quickly into his true form within seconds, an enormous beast with long, rippling fur, snapping fangs, and massive legs whose claws dug into the ground with a movement that suggested a nice, long stretch. His tail whipped back and forth in a frenzy of irritation. 

"Show-off," Inuyasha muttered, as he turned his exasperated stare from the overgrown dog to his enemies. The ground shook as Sesshoumaru pounced his first victim, one who was too astounded to do much to defend himself and so attacked a little too wildly; it glanced harmlessly off the massive, furred body. The unfortunate youkai was clawed into pieces with little expended effort and Sesshoumaru quickly turned to hunt down another.

Inuyasha found himself entangled once more with the female cat demon, one of the few who had seemed completely undaunted by Sesshoumaru's arrival. Not entirely surprising, considering the long-standing quarrels between the western dogs and the cats who had continually made themselves a nuisance for the past several centuries. _Heh … she's probably used to the idea of trying to kill us_, Inuyasha thought. The other demons did not seem to share her confidence; instead many of them hung back, reticent to rejoin the battle and face either being blown to pieces by a sword or dismembered by the claws of a gigantic beast.

Inuyasha reveled in the sudden resurgence of adrenaline that seized him. He flipped back out of the way of a wild swing and retaliated with another Bakuryuuha, one that ripped through her and took out one of her lingering companions as well. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a trail of youkai parts being strewn across the ground as Sesshoumaru tore apart another victim. _He enjoys this way too much_ … 

The other demons were apparently getting the same vibe for, suddenly, Inuyasha found himself without an opponent. He held out his arms in a gesture of invitation. "Come on. Either fight or get lost."

There was a low, feral growl from behind and a gigantic white-furred foot smashed down beside him, bloody claws fully extended and ready for another kill. "If you step on me with that thing, I'm cutting it off again, got that?" Inuyasha warned Sesshoumaru mildly as he carefully eyed the remainder of their opponents, now numbering less than half of what he had originally faced. 

Apparently the point had been made because the remnants of Ashrem's demon army seemed disinclined to fight any longer. Sesshoumaru watched the confrontation drain from them and phased back into his less energy-consuming form, hand moving to unsheath Toukijin with a slow, deliberate motion. This was enough for two of the bird-like demons; they immediately took a step backward and began to change into their flight forms … an act that was suddenly and inexplicably stopped. For a moment, their bodies appeared misshapen and caught in their attempted escape before something seemed to force them back into their human guises. 

It was easy to recognize the blank looks that suddenly stared back at them. Sesshoumaru watched without surprise as a familiar blue mark burned itself into their foreheads.

"He will not let them escape. They are his diversion," Sesshoumaru informed Inuyasha, looking up again at the hillside where Ashrem was tensely watching the battle. 

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Inuyasha asked. "Go kill the jerk."

Sesshoumaru needed no further invitation. Loosely clutching Toukijin, he leapt easily past the line of demons and shot up to where Ashrem was working to assert his control over them. Sesshoumaru descended to within feet of him and swung Toukijin, not at all surprised to find that the attack glanced harmlessly off of Ashrem. The human man glared back at him hatefully, a sneering smile coming to his face.

"This reminds me of the day Midoriko died," he told Sesshoumaru in a voice that sounded as though he was reminiscing over fond memories. "Your father came to kill me. He prowled around me, just as you are doing. Yet, even after all of that effort, I am still here and it is he that is dead. The great Inutaisho … and not even he was successful at killing me. How do you think you can possibly measure up in his stead, youkai?"

"Do not say his name," Sesshoumaru replied, speaking in a voice that rang of death. "And don't think for even a moment that you escaped him by any other means beyond pure chance and cowardice. I am glad that he failed to kill you. It left the responsibility to me, as it should have been from the beginning."

"Both you and your brother will join him today. I have already won this, Sesshoumaru, do you not see? Midoriko's powers are mine. I could purify you where you stand."

"You have already tried that, Ashrem, and you can see that it failed." Sesshoumaru smiled with evil intent. "The girl you claim ownership over … the one you are so certain _you_ control … was the one who sent me back to face you. I wouldn't be so confident if I were in your position." He took another step toward Ashrem, who frowned deeply at this revelation. 

Ashrem eyed Sesshoumaru and then looked back down to the field of youkai that were now securely at his whim. "With only a thought, I can send all seven of those demons to destroy your brother."

"That pitiful ploy again?" Sesshoumaru sneered. "Inuyasha is not my responsibility. He can take care of himself. I am here to deal with you."

"Then what of Rin? Removing the shards did not sever my ties with her. I could order her to leap to her death, to drown herself, the possibilities are endless."

Sesshoumaru's face returned to the cool, emotionless facade. "You attempt to manipulate me through threats of those around me, but you must understand by now … ," he took another calculated step closer, but Ashrem held his ground. "I have no weakness, Ashrem," Sesshoumaru said quietly, separated from his enemy by an arm's length. "And you are about to lose your concentration."

Sesshoumaru swung out at Ashrem again, but as before, his attack rebounded and the man remained unharmed. The sounds of a resumed battle behind him told Sesshoumaru that Ashrem had just made good on his threat by ordering his demons to begin assaulting Inuyasha once more. The riotous clang of metal mixed with the sounds of Inuyasha's crude cursing reached his ears as he continued to attack the barrier that ensconced Ashrem's entire form. 

As he struck out at his enemy, Sesshoumaru again wondered how it was that he was supposed to overcome this shield, this remnant of Midoriko that Ashrem commanded as easily as breath. She had not said how he should go about killing him, only that she needed him to. He was more than willing to stand here for as long as it took to fulfill that request.

A loud, rumbling blast rocked the ground and Sesshoumaru looked quickly over his shoulder to see that Inuyasha had finally been overcome by his opponents. The hanyou was crouched down and the horrid smell of burned flesh was permeating the air. 

"Will you not save him, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Ashrem inquired with mock concern, though he looked as though he was poised to flee if Sesshoumaru took the opportunity to do so.

"He can save himself," Sesshoumaru repeated calmly, turning to fully face Ashrem once more. The human man's face contorted into a mixture of annoyance and nervousness, and Sesshoumaru voiced his next thought. "You cannot purify me and hold that shield at the same time, can you, Ashrem?"

"You assume so."

"You control Midoriko's powers but they do not truly belong to you. It is a constant struggle, isn't it? A tiring one, I presume? Defending against me, subverting the will of your youkai army, sending them to fight Inuyasha. If you can get me to step away, you can lower that shield and try to purify me, correct? Perhaps incapacitate me long enough to kill me again?"

"You are not nearly as smart as you think you are," Ashrem spoke back, his face dark with anger and frustration.

_"Inuyasha!"___

Sesshoumaru's ears picked up the call and he felt suddenly certain that if Kagome had been within arm's reach he would have strangled her. _Foolish woman_! he thought viciously, now becoming very aware of the two humans that had apparently gone out of their way to find this battle even after he had ordered them to remain behind. Stupidity was running rampant this day, it seemed. 

Inuyasha turned his head at the sound of Kagome's voice, which rang out from the treed woods behind him. She emerged from the overgrowth a moment later with Rin in tow, but did not attempt to approach him. 

_Reckless idiot!_ he ranted silently, forcing himself back up on shaking legs as he kept Tetsusaiga situated between himself and the lifeless stares of the youkai around him. They seemed to have been paused, caught for a moment like stringless puppets as Ashrem's attention was diverted from ordering their attacks.

"Inuyasha! The jewel! It's giving off a demonic aura!" Kagome informed him, this time sounding more desperate.

"What?" he muttered, as he listened to her words. He looked past his attackers to the hillside where Sesshoumaru was still trying to bring down Ashrem's shield … and the realization struck him. The jewel was giving off a demonic aura … because Ashrem was manipulating the demons that still hovered around him, filtering their powers through the shards he was using to control them. The secret behind Bakuryuuha's ability to destroy a demon opponent was that it used its enemies' own strength to annihilate them. Ashrem had made a fatal mistake when he had linked the Shikon no Tama to those demons. Inuyasha could now make the Shikon no Tama turn on him.

As he watched the confrontation between Ashrem and Sesshoumaru, Tetsusaiga's energy began to build once more, swirling around the blade, and Inuyasha saw that Kagome was indeed correct. "Sesshoumaru!" he yelled across the distance that separated them. "I'd move if I were you!"

Inuyasha gave one last, heavy swing of Tetsusaiga, creating a massive wave of energy that exploded outward in a sweeping arc, intently seeking the source of that dark aura Ashrem had inadvertently surrounded himself with.

Sesshoumaru heard Inuyasha's warning, as did Ashrem, but the human was not nearly as quick as his youkai opponent. Sesshoumaru leapt clear as the Bakuryuuha collided with Ashrem and the Shikon no Tama, creating an explosion that sent grass and dirt flying around the valley in a shower, igniting a blinding lightshow that lit up the sky. The Tetsusaiga's attack prompted the jewel to obliterate the demons that had been connected to it, that final act shattering the Shikon no Tama to dust.

Ashrem crashed painfully back to the ground, trying to feel for the Shikon no Tama that no longer hung around his neck. His ears rang loudly as he tried to blink away the stunning effects of the attack, staring blearily up at the night sky, silently praying that Inuyasha's act had annihilated all of the demons … a hope that was proved to be in vain when Sesshoumaru came into view.

Ashrem glared hatefully up at the ever-composed face that hovered over him, wincing as the youkai deliberately knelt on his outstretched left arm in an attempt to keep him still. As if to prove a point, Sesshoumaru's hand wrapped itself around his throat, squeezing with enough strength to cut off air.

"Her protection is gone, Ashrem," Sesshoumaru whispered dangerously.

The hand loosened its hold from his neck, allowing him to inhale a breath. "Get it over with, dog. I am weary of looking at your face," Ashrem hissed at him furiously, suddenly struck with the reality that he was looking at his death. There would be no limbo for his soul this time. There would be no return. 

"I will give you the death you gave her," Sesshoumaru answered quietly. With barely an effort, he shoved his hand through Ashrem's chest, the pained shriek inciting a morbid satisfaction as he grasped onto the man's heart. With a wrenching motion, he pulled the still-beating organ from Ashrem's body, tossing it away as he looked down to find that death had already frozen his enemy's features. _How disappointing…they die so quickly, these creatures… _

He looked up from his kill to find that Rin and Kagome had exited the forest to join Inuyasha, all three of whom were watching him expectantly. The anger he had felt at their disregard for his orders faded. It would have dragged on for much longer if the miko had not been monitoring the Shikon no Tama so carefully. Perhaps her worth was greater than the skin she inhabited, he granted, quickly wiping his hand clean before jumping back down to meet them.

"He's dead, right?" Inuyasha asked with his usual bluntness as Sesshoumaru returned.

"Soundly," Sesshoumaru replied, eyes narrowing disdainfully at the scorched Inuyasha, who reeked horribly of burned flesh and hair. "Again, it looks as though you were too slow, half-breed. You smell terrible."

"Better burnt, than dead," Inuyasha remarked sarcastically. "And if I stink it's because I had to haul your ugly carcass around all day. You're welcome for that, by the way," he added with a sneer.

"A strategically poor decision," Sesshoumaru answered smoothly. "But I am hardly surprised. At least you kept from making a complete fool out of yourself in this battle. It seems there are times when even _you_ can be useful."

"I should have left you to the wild animals," Inuyasha muttered as Kagome took a step away from them, looking out over the hazy valley. Something was tugging at her senses, very much like the Shikon no Tama and yet … different.

"Is it destroyed?" she asked of no one in particular. 

As if to answer her question, a swirling, ethereal light shimmered into existence only a few feet from her and Kagome suddenly found herself being pulled backward by Inuyasha.

"What the hell is th---" Inuyasha began to question, the hand that was not holding onto Kagome moving to rest on Tetsusaiga. 

The light slowly took on a vaguely human form, that of a young woman, one that Sesshoumaru and Rin recognized quickly.

"Midoriko," Rin whispered, eyes wide as the deceased demon slayer coalesced even more into an almost solid-looking shape. Her expression was very peaceful, not at all the dream-like serenity that Rin had encountered with the girl before. 

The apparition-like Midoriko extended her arms, clasping Kagome's hand between her palms. Inuyasha frowned, not really certain what to make of this sudden appearance. A comforting warmth started working its way down the arm that was holding onto Kagome, and he froze for a moment as the blistered skin on his hands, neck, and face unceremoniously repaired itself. He released his hold on Kagome, unnerved by this unexpected regeneration, and watched as Midoriko spoke quietly to her, words that not even his own hearing could pick up. 

Kagome's eyes closed sleepily and she found herself suddenly looking inward, listening to Midoriko's hypnotic voice. 

I _cannot destroy myself, Kagome…energy cannot be destroyed. It can only be created; exchanged from one form to another. I can grant your wish to remain with him and to keep the door between your worlds open …_

Inuyasha looked on as Kagome and Midoriko seemed caught in a trance, wondering if he should try to break up whatever sort of discussion this was. He was inherently suspicious of anything that had to do with that jewel, and he was staring at its creator, someone whose intentions he could not predict. But just as he was intending to move to intercept them, Midoriko looked up at him, as though hearing his thoughts.

_No more sad partings, Inuyasha_ … came her disembodied voice, stopping him short of his intended actions as she broke contact and moved away from Kagome.

Rin found that Midoriko's tranquil face was suddenly staring into her own, a small smile tugging at her lips. She shivered lightly as what felt like a warm breeze blew past her, and hugged her arms to her body. For several long moments she tried to think of what to say, but nothing came to mind at this surreal instant. She was relieved that they had found a way to help her … and it pleased her that it was a resolution that Sesshoumaru would be content with. No more would this girl's spirit be lingering with a sword or with a jewel, no more being caught between those who sought her powers in order to enhance their own. Rin did not know what precisely would become of Midoriko now, but felt certain that it would be an improvement over being held at Ashrem's whim. She, of all people, could understand the fear and frustration that came from that. 

_He's gone, Rin_, Midoriko's voice echoed assuringly in her ears, as though she had read Rin's thoughts. _There is no more influence over you or me_. A slight pause, and then an additional whisper: _Decide on the path that completes your life. That is all Sesshoumaru wants for you. _

Sesshoumaru watched as Midoriko materialized in front of him, wearing a contented smile. _Do not let your fear keep you separate from her, Sesshoumaru. You are content when she is with you. Nothing else is as important. I hope very much that you will come to realize that.  _

He frowned, mouth opening with an intent to argue the word usage of "fear", but her smile widened into something more familiar and mischievous. _Farewell, my friend_, she said, before he could find the words. He stopped himself and nodded, not quite certain what to say. It did not seem nearly so long since those days when he had tried to teach her to use the sword that had eventually helped end her life, but it felt almost like it had happened to two different people: a demon who'd felt as though he had too much to prove and not enough opportunity to do so, and a human girl that had not yet been weighted down by a fate that would consume her soul for two centuries. Their brief interaction with each other had placed them both on two completely divergent paths, only to meet up again in order to resolve the mess they had created together. It was a relief to know that it was ended. Perhaps now she would be able to move on to a much-deserved rest. He certainly hoped that that would be so.

Midoriko's shimmering form seemed to fade before their eyes, leaving them in a heavy silence, one that no one seemed willing to break … until Inuyasha's curiosity got the best of him. He turned suspiciously to Kagome.

"So … she had a lot to say to you. What was all that about?"

Blinking away her reverie, Kagome turned to find her three companions staring at her with great interest. Feeling an unexplained weight in her fist, she turned her hand and opened it, staring in surprise at the chain that had once held the Shikon no Tama. Instead of the familiar glowing ball, there was what looked like a small, single shard, one that was registering to her senses as being clear of any evil influence. 

"She told me … that I don't have to choose," Kagome answered quietly before placing the chain around her neck again.

Inuyasha did not reply, though he continued to watch her with an inscrutable expression until Sesshoumaru finally moved.

"Then we're finished here," Sesshoumaru said briskly, turning to walk back toward the forest, Rin moving to fall into step beside him. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, wondering briefly what it was that Midoriko had said to her. He would not question her tonight, however. She was clearly weary; the last few days would have been enough to tire anyone. So he kept his silence and debated the idea of speeding up their journey … but his pondering was halted when Inuyasha decided to speak.

Sesshoumaru suddenly realized he had been spending far too much time around the hanyou lately. It was becoming entirely too easy to predict the brat's big mouth. 

"You know, Sesshoumaru …," Inuyasha began slowly, casually, watching as Sesshoumaru turned a nonchalant stare on him.

"Yes?" he asked.

"For a little while there, _I_ was the Lord of the Western Lands," Inuyasha stated with more than a hint of evil amusement.

"A sad twelve hours in its long history," Sesshoumaru replied instantly. "Enjoy those few moments, Inuyasha, because you will never see them again." 

********************************************************************************************************

It was almost as though none of it had ever happened. Save for the destruction that had been wrought on the front of the house and Jaken's ceaselessly chattered questions, inquiries that were quickly halted when Rin slammed her bedroom door in the little toad's face, everything resumed as it had been before Ashrem's interruption.

That night, Rin fell into a depthless, dreamless sleep as soon as she found her bed and when she woke the next morning, she found that Kagome was huddled under a pile of blankets nearby. Cheerful beams of sunlight were pouring in from the window, declaring that that day was going to be clear and beautiful. If nothing else, the incident with Ashrem had renewed her appreciation for a lot of things, some she had come to take for granted

Rin rose and got dressed, combed her hair, and then quietly left the room, but she had gone not more than ten steps when Jaken's short form appeared, fixating on her with a beady yellow stare.

"I demand to know what went on when I was so carelessly left behind!"

"'Do you, Jaken-sama?" she questioned in return, listening as his small feet shadowed her down the hallway. "And what has Sesshoumaru-sama told you?"

"It is not for me to question him," Jaken replied snobbishly.

Rin did not want to discuss it with him, either. In fact, she wanted nothing more than to just forget it all entirely. But there were only two ways to get rid of so curious a creature as Jaken. Sesshoumaru often preferred the route of violence, but Rin decided to take the other, kinder way.

She whirled suddenly and knelt so that she was on his level, surprising him enough that he skidded to a halt. 

"He fixed it," she said. "Just like he always does."

"And your appalling behavior? Was that rectified as well?" Jaken scolded. "Exactly what went on between this Ashrem and Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Rin smiled sweetly. "I missed you, Jaken-sama."

"Eh?" Jaken asked, eyes bulging at the sudden expression of affection. She doubted she could have shocked him more if she had slapped him. "Sesshoumaru-sama indulges you and your sentimental nature far too often. You are a strange little girl, Rin," he sniffed, but her words had the desired effect, discomforting him enough that he all but fled from her. 

She got back to her feet, relieved to have put a stop to that interrogation. Loud banging and thumping sounds reached her ears, echoing through the walls from the outside. She followed the noise, eventually wandering outdoors and into a blissfully sunny day. It seemed even nature was set on celebrating their victory with them. The racket was soon accompanied by two familiar voices and she walked around the side of the house until she came to an enormous pile of ruined stone and wooden beams, apparently the remains of the ruined front foyer.

Rin knew that this had been her doing as well, but could not recall what exactly it was that she had done to create such an appalling mess. The last thing she remembered from that day was Sesshoumaru waving her away from her fight with Elif, dismissing her back to the house. She squashed down the nervousness that came from recalling that brief conflict. Something told her that Elif was still a problem that needed to be resolved … and Rin seriously doubted that the woman would settle for an apology. Shoving this dark thought aside, Rin clambered carefully around the shattered rock and wood splinters, and in so doing, found the owners of the voices. 

Sesshoumaru was looking on in disdain as Inuyasha attempted to shore up a gaping wall near the stairs, one that still looked to be in danger of collapsing outward at any given moment. The half-demon was trying to wedge a beam into place to help keep such a thing from happening, but was clearly having difficulty, since it appeared to be the wrong size.

"Pathetic," Sesshoumaru commented, sounding bored.

"Yeah? Well if you'd talk a little less and do a little more, maybe we'd be able to get this done. Not that I'm expecting gratitude or anything for helping to fix _your_ house," Inuyasha said sarcastically, giving the large beam another good shove.  

"It is good that you don't expect it, because you won't be receiving it. If you weren't so completely incompetent, the sword would never have left your hands and my home would still be intact."

"You're saying this is _my_ fault?" Inuyasha asked incredulously.

"I cannot fault you for stupidity, Inuyasha, as it is your lot in life to wander about with nothing between your ears save an over-inflated sense of self-worth. There's nothing to be done except to pity you for it," Sesshoumaru replied. 

Rin watched as Inuyasha released the beam, allowing it to fall back to the earth with a heavy thump. He took a step toward Sesshoumaru and Rin knew well where this was going to end up. It amazed her that even after all that had happened, they were still constantly at each other's throats. But, she supposed, this was normal for them … so maybe it was wrong to become overly upset about it. She was just grateful that they had the opportunity to fight at all. The sounds of another set of feet prompted her to glance back to find that Kagome had been drawn from bed by the noise as well.

"What's going---" Kagome began to ask, but she stopped speaking when Inuyasha's snide voice issued a return insult.

 "Now I know why you're so damned heavy … it's that head of yours," Inuyasha remarked, shaking his head as though in amazement. "I can't understand how you're able to remain upright."

"You're not wearing Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru reminded him in a tone of warning. "If you start something, I will finish it."

"Finish it? You can't even die, right, so don't give me that crap. You talk really big for a stuck-up aristocrat that doesn't want to get his hands dirty."

Rin exchanged an exasperated glance with Kagome, fully expecting the sudden build-up in the argument to instigate yet another bloody fight between the brothers. Apparently, she was not the only one who had expected Sesshoumaru to act on his threat.

"Well?" Inuyasha asked as Sesshoumaru remained still, staring dispassionately back at him. "What are you waiting for?"

Some weight seemed to flee from Sesshoumaru's posture and he relaxed slightly, crossing his arms as he answered, "I am waiting for you to grow up. You are still a child, Inuyasha. When that is no longer the case, return, and we will settle this permanently."

Rin felt suddenly certain that she had just missed something important. What was _this_ … ? She didn't have a chance to consider Sesshoumaru's motives further because Kagome grabbed her hand and led her back toward the house, complaining loudly that she was starving.

Inuyasha's head turned to watch as the girls walked away before glancing suspiciously back at Sesshoumaru. "Don't tell me you're mellowing out."

"I can assure you that that is not the case."

Inuyasha's face took on a puzzled frown, not sure what to make of this sudden reduction in hostility. And, before he could figure out why he was saying it, he found himself gruffly explaining, "I kept my word. It just wouldn't work for me."

"I knew that it would not. Tenseiga is very selective of her master," Sesshoumaru revealed.

 "And you couldn't have let me know that ahead of time?" Inuyasha complained, finding that he was quickly becoming uncomfortable with the conversation. It was much easier and preferable to deal with Sesshoumaru with weapons, rather than words. But the prospect of a fight had suddenly lessened in appeal for him as well. 

"When have I ever made things easy for you, Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru asked wryly, eyeing the hanyou as he moved to resume working on the unstable wall once more.

"Yeah," Inuyasha muttered, not really certain what to say to that … or why he had felt compelled to let Sesshoumaru know that he had tried to keep that promise.

*************************************************************************************************************

When night fell, Rin and Sesshoumaru were seated near the bank of the churning river that had served as the place where Sesshoumaru had first tried to destroy Midoriko's sword. Despite everything, the blade remained whole and untouched, and had been returned to its place in Sesshoumaru's room. He had said that it was "dead", though what precisely that meant, Rin did not know. She supposed that it no longer radiated any sort of threatening energy to a youkai's senses. It had been, in effect, contained.

Kagome and Inuyasha had taken their leave earlier in the evening, a departure that had been mostly uneventful, and Rin assumed that that was because Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha had each finally gotten bored with trying to prove a point that would never be made. There was no way either of those two would ever submit to the other. Sesshoumaru had simply ordered his brother to "Go home" and Inuyasha had replied with a parting message that had contained a word Rin would not even allow her mind to repeat. 

It seemed not even death could bring them together … or change them, for that matter. Rin didn't know whether to be more sad or amused by that. But, if she had to wager a guess, she would say that they appeared to perhaps despise each other a little less than before, maybe understood each other a little better. It might not be overly foolish of her to remain hopeful for them. But, then again, she was known to be overly optimistic at times.

After Kagome and Inuyasha left, Rin found herself wandering idly through the woods until she came to the river. She had not even been aware that she'd gone that far, but it stopped her forward motion, providing a tranquil scene that she decided to enjoy. She had not been at all surprised when Sesshoumaru had finally emerged from the woods to join her. There had apparently been no purpose behind his coming, as he had not said much to her, just settled not far away at the base of an ancient tree.

It was she who finally moved to sit beside him, her feet digging into the sticky sand as she walked up the sloping shore. A light breeze sifted through her hair, hinting that autumn was upon them. She sat down only inches from him, feeling suddenly brave enough to invade the personal space he always demanded, smiling slightly when he did not move away, merely glanced at her and then back at the water. They continued their silent companionship, with only the soothing sounds of the water below them breaking the quiet. 

That horrible battle was so far away now. Her heart and mind seemed to have joined together in an attempt to push away as many details of that nightmarish day as possible, and Rin would let them. It was not something she wanted to dwell on. He was here with her now, and would continue to be, and that was all that mattered. Sesshoumaru appeared to be intent upon forcing the memory from their lives as well. When Jaken had finally given in to his inherent nosiness and inquired about what had happened in their absence, Sesshoumaru had been quick to tell him to mind his own business. They had returned, hadn't they? The matter was resolved. End of story. So simplistic. 

_How like him_, Rin thought affectionately … to reduce so horrific an event to something that was not even worth his time to explain. She admired his ability to dismiss such things so easily and honestly. 

But what _she_ would not dismiss was what had spurred him to such an action as to drop Toukijin during that battle, rather then bring about her death. She could still remember that day in the cellar of the house, when he had been trying to explain his feelings for her and the restrictions their differences placed on them. He had told her that she had managed to become as important to him as himself, but that act of selflessness he had performed on the battlefield in front of Ashrem had shown her what he had really meant to say. She no longer questioned his feelings for her. As always, Sesshoumaru spoke from his heart with actions far more readily than with words.

"Sesshoumaru?" she called softly, loathe to disturb the serenity around them, but there were so many things that she felt compelled to say.

"Yes?" 

"Thank you," she said, knowing that he would understand why she was expressing gratitude.  

"You are welcome."

Another silence descended, and this time Rin argued within herself as to how she could relay her feelings in a way that would not horrify him. This was where it became difficult, where their vast differences in personality prevented things from being clearly stated between them. Somehow, though, the events of the past few days allowed her the ability to voice her thoughts, something she had not been able to do before ….  He was here now … he was likely to be here for a very long time … but she had learned that nothing was permanent. There were things her heart felt compelled to tell him and she did not want to wait until he was no longer there to hear them.   

"Sesshoumaru?" she called again, this time more hesitantly.

"Yes?" he asked, staring resolutely ahead and knowing precisely what was going to come out of her mouth before she even said it. This time he did not stop her.

"I love you very much."

"Yes, I know," he said simply, taking her aback with this egocentric certainty. 

She turned a wide, surprised smile on him, relieved that she had apparently not made him nearly as uncomfortable as she had thought she would. "You still deserve to hear it. Everyone does, even almighty demon lords."

"Almighty demon lords understand things without needing to hear them," he replied easily. "And that sometimes leads to their making unwise decisions."

The smile faded slightly at those words and she frowned lightly. "What unwise decision have you made?"

"One that I have no desire to correct," he revealed cryptically, turning to look at her. "Do you still intend to return to Kameko?"

Rin's expression turned to bewilderment. "When did I say that?"

Sesshoumaru seemed amused by this genuine confusion. "Never mind." Strangely, this was not nearly so uncomfortable a conversation as he had expected. He had been dreading this moment for a while now, yet it had come and gone and it had not been nearly as unnatural as he had feared. Perhaps it was because he had already been aware of her feelings, and so the words had not been a surprise. Or maybe it was because those feelings were not unwelcome.

_How had it come to this?_ he wondered. It was as though she had become split into two different people in his mind. An impish, curious, constantly-chattering child … and then the person he had found in Kameko's village that night. Only slightly less impish, still obscenely curious … a little quieter perhaps, but still talkative enough that she often forced him out of that comfortable shell of solitude. He had known her the least amount of time of anyone else in his long life, yet he recognized that she knew him better than any of those people. Sesshoumaru was not one to easily form friendships or relationships of much depth, but he had somehow effortlessly managed it with Rin. 

Rin turned so that she could look him in the face, and she saw that he was watching her curiously, as though wondering what else he could expect her to tell him. "I want you to know," she said with quiet certainty, "that I do want to stay with you." She remembered well how he had suggested that returning to a normal human life was what was best for her, but he had inadvertently set her on this path from the moment he had returned her life to her all those years ago. In a sense, she had been reborn at that moment. Fate had pushed her along in another direction, away from the normalcy of a life among humans, and she was very content with that. She studied his face for a hint as to what he was thinking, her heart fluttering anxiously. 

"That is not a decision to be made lightly. I will not hold you to it," he finally answered.

"It was not a rash decision."

"You are reacting to what happened yesterday. The specter of the deaths of those around you has always been something you've feared. You should not allow it to dictate your future. Mortality is something that cannot be escaped, even in a life with youkai." He eyed her seriously. "Death finds us as well. It just takes more effort to claim us." 

Rin listened, knowing that some of what he was saying about her was true, but he was wrong about one important aspect. "I knew what I wanted to do well before that battle, Sesshoumaru. If anything, what happened with Ashrem let me know that my decision was right. Whatever the restrictions, I'm content to stay with you … even if it means being a momentary distraction," she added with a slight smile. 

"'A momentary distraction'?" he repeated with a frown, wondering briefly if Jaken had been speaking out of turn again. "And who told you that you were such a thing?"

"Kameko. And I can see her point. You've lived a long time. You'll probably be around for much longer. Sixty years spent with a human woman will likely only be a brief interlude in your life. I'm willing to accept that."

"Kameko said that?" he asked, and the frown deepened to a scowl. "That hanyou speaks far too much about things she knows nothing about. She told me that I would be the one to break your heart and yet she feels the need to say such things to you." He paused, as though mentally considering the scathing words he would reserve for Kameko when he saw her next. "My attention span is not held by mere 'distractions'. Be assured that she was wrong when she told you that."

"She was concerned … ," Rin weakly defended Kameko.

"I will grant that she had reason to be. She wonders how happy you will be when your life is finished and you find that it was devoid of the things that seem to make humans content."

"Those same things make demons content, I think," Rin replied, wrapping her hand around his forearm, as she added, "We are not so different, Sesshoumaru."

"Demons have far more time to seek out the things that make their lives worthwhile," he said, glancing down at the hand that was lying lightly across his arm. "Humans do not have that same luxury."

"Then I'm lucky that it didn't take me much time," Rin said with a smile, making her tone cheerful. She moved her hand to lightly grasp some stray strands of his hair, folding them around her fingers, inspecting their feathery softness as her mind considered the realization that he had yet to even tell her what it was that he wanted. Maybe he had concluded that it would be best for them both to go their separate ways? She did not know, and really had no way of knowing. He was not the type to come out and tell her such things, nor would he hurt her feelings by ordering her away. She found that she was almost afraid when she asked, "What is it that you want, Sesshoumaru?"" 

Sesshoumaru watched that hand as it played with his hair, vaguely realizing that there had never been anyone else who would have dared to be so familiar with him. Human or not, Rin was the only individual whose gestures of affection he would accept. There was something about that that struck him then, even as he greeted her question with a long silence. If she was willing to accept him and the life being with him entailed, then he would be pleased to have her remain with him. Somehow he had developed a deep attachment to this girl. This was the outcome he had wanted and for him it was enough to recognize that, it did not need to be stated. But … she could not read his mind, and for once he wanted to be certain to make things clear for her. He stared at her for a long moment, studying that expression that contained such heartfelt feeling for him, before finally answering, "I want you to stay with me, Rin."

********************************************************************************************

**The End! Well … sort of. I've still got the epilogue to do, but it'll be a lot shorter than a regular chapter. I've got to wrap up a few more things in that, although I'm having a hard time deciding on how to go about it, since I'll be starting the next story soon and don't want to divulge a whole lot. *shrug* I don't know. First, I need to go back and do some serious re-writing. Especially on some of those first chapters. They're insanely short compared to these later ones. Completely unbalanced. I'm a little more comfortable with this "fanfiction thing", so it'll be easier to go back and add some stuff. There are some things I just forgot to put in entirely. Oops. But I'll also get to change up some painful dialogue and things.**

**I had a hard time with this chapter for some reason. Both Wethril and I agreed that there's something missing, but I've gone back through it and can't figure out what that is. The only thing I can think of will be covered in the Epilogue.**

**So, anyway, next is the Epilogue and it'll cover one more thing that needs to be resolved!**

**I'd like to express huuuuge thanks, hugs, and kisses to Wethril for reading all of this stuff ahead of time. She's awesome. Thanks very much, Wethril!**

**Also, thanks to the reviewers. It's been a lot of fun. :D**

**To the reviewers:**

**_Ourania_****_:_ I hope that was an appropriately bloody death for him. LOL! I thought it was poetic justice to have his heart ripped out, considering what happened with Midoriko. Sesshy takes no prisoners. *evil cackle* And that's probably why I get your sense of humor. I love sarcasm, dry humor, all that type of thing. It amuses me, because I have a very sarcastic sense of humor myself. :D**

**_Noir12:_ Thanks! I thought it'd be great to have Sesshoumaru dealing with an emotionally-wrecked Rin. ;) It's fun to put him in positions that he's not terribly accustomed to being in. Seeing someone that worked up over him would probably be weird for him. LOL! And, yes, Ashrem's ass is well-kicked and deservedly so! I had the hardest time trying to explain exactly what the Bakuryuuha attack does, though. I know a lot of people haven't seen past Episode 52, so they haven't seen that attack yet. It turns a youkai's powers back on himself…very cool. I had Inuyasha's last fight with Bankotsu very in mind when I wrote up Ashrem's death.**

**_Sesshoumaru_****_:_ Sesshoumaru-sama! You have an internet connection! I'm a little freaked out by that, I've gotta admit. ;) Sorry about the whole death thing…but at least you got the bad guy in the end, right? And the girl for that matter… And something tells me I'd better type a little faster and get this thing loaded up…**

**_Sesshoumaru'sFirefly_****_:_ Thank you! Agh…don't let them read it until I fix things. ;) I can't even bring myself to read that first chapter. I had no idea what I was doing at that point. Not that I'm an expert now, but I'm a lot more comfortable with writing, that's for sure. **

**_Silvermuse89:_ I'm glad you think so, because I was wondering if it was a little dark. And then I realized, of course it's dark. Someone just died. :P About Midoriko sending him back, I like the idea of keeping her abilities mysterious, what she can and can't do, that type of thing. A lot of the things I've had her do in this story have been things that the Shikon no Tama has showed an ability to do in the series. Like the whole "shield" thing…I got that idea off of Naraku. Not sure if he uses the Shikon shards to create that, but I snitched it for this story just in case. ;) The regeneration and "back-to-life" idea came from the first episode. Kaede told Kagome that they needed to get that shard out of the centipede demon or else she would regenerate. To me, that says the Shikon no Tama has some sort of healing/restorative property. That's where Sesshoumaru's resurrection came from. Nothing Goddess-like. :D**

**_Ailian_****_ Rhys:_ I love that about them, too. In the series, you can see that they do both have a hard time with their feelings. Sesshoumaru especially often says one thing and then does another, which is why his real motives are usually kind of hard to discern. And lol … yeah, I figured Inuyasha would have just no idea of what to say to Rin. Tell her to quit crying, hand her Tenseiga … and there, his part in it is done, Kagome can handle the rest. ;) And nothing seems to ruffle Sesshoumaru so I thought it was best to keep him completely unimpressed by the whole "revival" deal. ;) I'm glad Rin's coming across that way, too.**

**_Silver Spell:_ Wow, I'm glad you thought so, thanks very much. :D I appreciate all the sweet compliments, but believe me, if I was that great a writer I'd be able to actually figure out what I'm trying to say. LOL! I've stumbled through way too much of this story because of that problem. *throttles writer's block* Thanks for the vote of confidence there. ;) **

**_Cyhiraeth_****_:_ Thanks! You can sort of see a progression like that in the series, too. Not exactly "love/hate"…more like "blah/hate", which is a step up from "hate/kill", which is how it was in the beginning. ;) In my story, the weird way they relate to each other is a little more at the forefront, just because I think they're interesting. They don't like each other. Neither one trusts the other as far as he can throw him … but neither hates the other nearly as much as they like to pretend they do. :D And you're right. I do think that it's nearly impossible for a character to be completely good or completely evil. I think it's far more interesting to give the "evil character" qualities that make him/her sympathetic in some ways.  **

**_New Fan:_ Well, that's a problem … it depends on how you judge how he should show how he cares about her. Sesshoumaru's just not one to sit her down and say "I love you!!" That was way more of a Rin thing, which is why I made her do it and then just got him to react. ;) I warned a while back that there would be no huge declaration of love at the end of this story. I'll develop them more in the next story. Still, I thought it would be a huge step for him to actually come out and tell her that he _wants_ her to stay with him. He never made that clear before. :D**

**_Lennex_****_:_ Thank you very much! :D**

**_Sashlea_****_:_ ****Mission**** accomplished, tail is sufficiently kicked. ;) **

**_SessRinFan_****_:_ Thanks! Glad you think it's funny. ;) I wish I could keep up this story as long as I like, but it has reached its close, I'm afraid. I'll probably put up the Epilogue on Monday or Tuesday. That'll explain a few more things.**


	21. Epilogue

He felt as though he was walking in his father's footsteps. Each stride that took him closer and closer to Toutousai's cave-like dwelling brought that odd displacement further and further to the forefront. He had hoped to never understand Inutaisho's feelings in those last years of his life, but Sesshoumaru found that they were now inescapable. This was a circumstance that was forcing him to quell his pride. It simply had to be done.

His feet made light cracking sounds as they tracked across the frosted ground and, as he approached the maw-like cave, he could easily make out the distant ringing sounds of colliding metals. Apparently the old man was already at work on something. Sesshoumaru doubted overly much that Toutousai would be pleased to see him. They had never been on particularly pleasant terms before, but the sword-maker's help was needed and Sesshoumaru was going to take whatever means necessary to gain it.

_To be in such a situation_ … , his mind grumbled. It nearly physically pained him to come find the old man for this task. The same man who had once so audaciously told him that Inutaisho had had high hopes that Tenseiga might one day help Sesshoumaru grow at least a semblance of a heart. _Just one smug look, you old bastard_, Sesshoumaru's mind warned darkly, _and your insides are going to litter the floor …_  

But, strangely, as much as Toutousai always seemed to have feared him in the past, Sesshoumaru could admit to being slightly puzzled by the lack of surprise from the old man as he entered Toutousai's home. If anything Toutousai seemed barely interested in this sudden arrival. 

"Sesshoumaru. What is it that you want?" his voice called, taking a moment to blow a wave of fire over whatever it was that he was creating.

"I believe you owe me a sword," Sesshoumaru replied instantly, his tone lightly threatening. "I am here to collect."

Toutousai paused and looked up, scratching his chin and narrowing his eyes in thought, as though recalling their last encounter. "How long do you dog demons hold grudges…?" he asked almost to himself before adding, "And aren't you a little early?"

Sesshoumaru blinked. So he had already heard … His mood deteriorated even further as he awaited a snide comment to come from that ancient creature. "One can never tell how long you might live, Toutousai," Sesshoumaru replied warningly, moving further into the grimy cave. 

Apparently completely unconcerned about the vague hints of potential bodily harm, Toutousai turned his back on Sesshoumaru and lowered something into a vat of water. Instantly an angry, hissing cloud of steam rose into the air. "Well," he finally said, "your brother beat you to it. He showed up last week asking me to forge it for you."

"Inuyasha …," Sesshoumaru murmured half-questioningly. He scowled then, watching Toutousai as he again resumed pounding on the weapon he was working on. _What could possibly have possessed the hanyou to stick his nose into my business?_ he wondered in irritation. 

"Yep," Toutousai went on, even though Sesshoumaru had not yet replied. "He even offered up one of his own fangs."

"His fang?" Sesshoumaru repeated, unable to keep the incredulity out of his voice. It was laughable, completely absurd. As though the fang of a half-demon had any hope of being enough to forge this sword. Inuyasha's delusions of grandeur were becoming more and more pronounced, it seemed.

"I figured you wouldn't go for it, but he said you were too much of a proud, pretentious jackass to go do this yourself," Toutousai explained casually, but then held up his hands in a defensive posture. "Inuyasha's words, not mine. So, anyway, he's commissioned it already. I never thought I'd see the day when you'd admit that any child of yours would need one of my swords to seal his hanyou blood. But you're brighter than I gave you credit for, I guess."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed angrily at this disrespect, but he held back his temper. Indeed, he had always been certain that he would never be placed in such a situation, either. He had become far too much like his father. This hanyou child's birth had been accidental as well, just as Inuyasha's had been, and yet … Sesshoumaru found that he would sooner disembowel himself than admit that any mistake had been made. Besides, hanyou or not, Inushiro was his … and what child of his, hanyou or not, could ever be weak?

Still … he had learned lessons from his father's mistakes, as well as his smarter decisions, which was why he had finally given in and come to the sword-maker. Inuyasha knew well the necessity of Tetsusaiga and he had been correct in predicting Sesshoumaru's reticence. It had taken him months to come to the conclusion that this was absolutely necessary, but as Inushiro's birth had grown closer, the memories of what he had seen Inuyasha become when his demon blood became dominant had been coming to mind more and more often.

"Have you made it yet?" he questioned Toutousai, who regarded him with upraised eyebrows.

"No. I had a feeling you'd show up. I figured you wouldn't let Inuyasha get away with showing more sense than you," Toutousai answered.

"I still don't like him," Sesshoumaru muttered.

"Funny, he went out of his way to tell me the same thing," Toutousai said, his face remaining even as his voice betrayed the humor he found in the situation.

Sesshoumaru let that comment pass, extending his hand to drop his own recently-extracted fang into the old man's hand. "Here. Forge it. I'll return for it within the week."

Toutousai regarded the sharp, shiny object that lay in the palm of his hand, then asked, "And what of your brother's fang?"

"Use them both," Sesshoumaru ordered before sweeping soundlessly from the cave.

* * *

  


He had been forced to retreat, there was simply nothing else to be done. The shrieks of little girls at play were putting his ears into misery. Such small beings … and yet so _loud_. Sesshoumaru had never been one to enjoy the prospect of being swarmed by lots of people and yet that was precisely what had happened. His house was completely overrun by the uninvited invasion that had been Kagome and the wretched hanyou. Worse yet, they seemed intent on staying for a while. 

To gawk at the child? Likely. Inuyasha had been distinctly disappointed to find that Inushiro had not been cursed with the dog ears that made the boy's uncle such an eyesore. 

Which reminded him of another reason why he had evacuated himself … the incessant squealing of Kagome and Rin over such ridiculous aspects of the child as fingers and toes and tiny, pointed ears … it was some bizarre, maternal lunacy. Naturally, Inushiro had all of those things. It was beyond Sesshoumaru's comprehension to understand why the boy's mother and aunt seemed intent on celebrating the fact that he had not been born an appendage-less freak of nature.

Beyond that unexplainable insanity, the child looked remarkably like Inuyasha, something Sesshoumaru's brother had crowed about from the instant he had barged his way through the front door. It had taken great restraint on Sesshoumaru's part to keep from removing (in an appropriately violent fashion) the smirk of satisfaction that had welded itself across the hanyou's face.

"You can't call me ugly anymore, now can you?" Inuyasha had taunted.

"He is fine. You are _still_ ugly," Sesshoumaru had replied coolly. 

"He looks _just like me_, moron."

"It's the ears that make you so hideous."

Sesshoumaru was able to at least take amusement in the fact that Inushiro had been born early enough to make his appearance well before Inuyasha's own son, something that was clearly eating the hanyou alive. Inuyasha had spent most of the evening prowling around Kagome, eyeing her expectantly, as if she had any control over the situation, almost as though it had been a conspiracy on her part to allow Sesshoumaru's son to be older than his own. Finally, she had simply hissed her sit command and that had settled the matter.  

Sesshoumaru had actually grown almost fond of the miko over the last several years. Anyone who could so effortlessly humiliate the bratty Inuyasha earned status as far as he was concerned. And, beyond that, Kagome had proven herself to be highly capable for a human. 

"Oji-samaaaaaa!!" came a high-pitched call, one that was accompanied by the sounds of small feet running headlong down the hallway. 

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes. There was simply no escaping it … these people were forcing him to interact. And unlike his brother, who he would simply tell to go to hell, the person who bounded through the partially-open door was not one whose feelings he dismissed so easily.

Miya bounced into the room, flushed and cheerful from her play, and Sesshoumaru was, as always, struck by her resemblance to the one who had possessed her soul hundreds of years before her. He had recognized her from the moment he had first laid eyes on her, only hours after her birth. Midoriko had indeed found a way to end the Shikon no Tama … she had been reborn in this form, either knowingly or not. And though their vastly different personalities proved that Miya was certainly not Midoriko, that soul still held remnants of the woman he had known. Beyond the physical resemblances, there was the attachment she had formed with him from the very beginning. Something within that little girl recognized that he had once been very important to her … and was so again. 

Midoriko, in a sense, had been allowed another human life, one in which she was excessively happy, with an intact family and more people to devote attention to her than was likely healthy. There was no more loneliness … no more sadness. And only time would tell if she would develop the spiritual powers that had been hers before. For the sake of a normal life, Sesshoumaru hoped they never manifested themselves, but the influence of Kagome's own abilities made him wonder if that was going to prove to be a false hope.

"Why are you alone, Oji-sama?" Miya asked, her wide golden eyes inquisitive as she met his impassive stare.

"There is no reason," he said simply. His tone changed to questioning. "I was told by your father that you were involved in a fight."

"Fight?" she repeated, and he could almost see her brain working furiously to think of a way to excuse her behavior. "It wasn't a real fight … I just … tripped him," she said innocently, then took on a look of such unapologetic defiance that it could only have come from Inuyasha.

"And why was this?"

"Kenji-kun insisted that Miroku-sama is stronger than Father and he wouldn't back down," she stated, as though this perfectly justified her actions

Still defending _her_ demons …. yes, Midoriko's soul was certainly inhabiting that body, Sesshoumaru thought wryly.  

"Kenji … was incorrect," Sesshoumaru found himself saying. It was still an adjustment, having to alter how he talked about Inuyasha in the presence of his brother's child, but that was an unspoken agreement that had developed between them. Neither spoke poorly of the other in the presence of the children … that was saved for other times and places when little ears were not listening. When words escalated to arguments and then on to physical altercations (which they inevitably did), it was explained away as "practice". It was so simple … fooling their little minds. 

"Are you stronger than Father?" came the next question. She cocked her head and looked at him, awaiting his answer.

_Okay, that was going too far …._ "Yes," he said emphatically. If Inuyasha did not like that answer, Sesshoumaru decided he would be more than happy to take the matter up with him later.

"Father says you aren't," Miya replied instantly.

"Your father is … ," Sesshoumaru halted the word he was going to use … paused purposefully … and then chose one more carefully, " … senile."

"What does that mean?" she asked with an honest frown.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes against the endless questions. Speaking with a child was unbelievably circular, very much like dealing with Jaken …. 

More footsteps were coming and Sesshoumaru felt almost as though he was being rescued, as he recognized the gait that was coming down the hallway … slower and more dignified than the rambunctious Miya. This person was certainly coming to pull the child away so that they could resume their raucous play.

He looked up from Miya's face when Ashitera entered the room. These two girls were world's apart as far as personalities were concerned, very much like the differences between himself and Inuyasha … yet, when they were together, they could create an unbelievable amount of havoc. _And_, Sesshoumaru found himself admitting_, I suppose that is also like myself and Inuyasha …. _

"I thought the two of you were feeding Aun," he said, studying Ashitera's face suspiciously. He could read that child like a book. 

A sly, guilty look formed on her face, confirming his suspicions, but her violet eyes hinted at great amusement as she glanced up at him. "We were, Father … "

Father. It had been this child who had first accustomed him to the idea of bearing such a title. She had come into his life quite unexpectedly and he had resisted her greatly at first. He had argued against Rin's wish for her to remain with them; he had been unable to see past the blood that flowed through her veins … hanyou blood, blood that was of no relation to him and, instead, had been shared by one of his most despised enemies. 

But, somehow, this little hanyou child who was of no true relation to him had become just as securely his as her new brother. Physically, she could not have looked less like him, but she had grown to be nearly astonishingly similar to him in many ways. It had been Ashitera who had formed the idea in his head that perhaps blood was not all of what determined someone's worth.

One day, she had simply started referring to him as "otousan" … and he had never bothered to correct her. If she felt secure enough to place him in that role, he would fulfill it.

"What have you done to Jaken?" Sesshoumaru questioned calmly, following up on his instincts, and knew immediately that he had hit on something when the two little girls traded conspiratorial sideways looks. It was impossible to discern which of them was the instigator of all of their mischief, as he had a sneaking suspicion that that title was equally attributable to both of them.

"Ah …. ," Ashitera looked as though she was trying to think of a good response when Miya interjected.

"He called her a bratty _hanyou_," Miya said archly, looking thoroughly offended on behalf of her cousin.

_He could have called her worse_, Sesshoumaru thought, but Jaken had long-since learned the hard way that all references to "half-breeds" and "mutts" had been banished from the home. "She _is_ a hanyou," Sesshoumaru patiently reminded Miya.

"But I don't have to hear it from _him_!" Ashitera insisted, causing Sesshoumaru to turn to her with expressionless amusement.

"Then you retaliated in some fashion, I assume?" Of course, she had done so. Jaken often claimed that Ashitera was far more horribly behaved than Rin had ever been. Sesshoumaru had considered the idea that the toad's mind was failing because he could still distinctly remember Jaken complaining of Rin when she had been a similar age, that she was a "bratty human" and "a nuisance". Sesshoumaru supposed Rin would order the girls to go apologize to Jaken, but he felt the punishment had fit the offense, and so decided to leave it alone. Ashitera was terribly proud … and he knew well where she had acquired such a character trait. 

Besides, Jaken really had nothing to complain about. It was often his own mouth that got him into trouble with the girl, and Ashitera was very much like Rin in the way she related to the retainer. One moment she was treating him like an additional kid brother, and the next she was respectfully calling him "Jaken-sama" as she pushed him into the pond. 

"Yes, sir," Ashitera admitted to his inquiry, though she did not look apologetic in the least.

"Go let him out of whatever you've locked him into," Sesshoumaru ordered, watching as the two girls hurried off to retrieve the hapless Jaken. 

Peace descended once more around him. He moved to look out the window, silently cursing the blanket of cold, frozen weather that was forcing the children to remain indoors, captives to their seemingly endless sources of energy. His ears suddenly picked up on the distant sounds of Jaken's squalling voice reprimanding the girls and a cackling, evil laugh from Inuyasha. 

More footsteps were approaching, but these were far more welcome as they were attached to a person who always seemed to find a way to stave off the chaos that was often created by those little girls. As he listened more intently, he found that, as usual, a calming quiet had descended over his home once more. Just how he liked it. He looked up as Rin halted her progress in the doorway, looking slightly exasperated. "The girls … "

"Yes, I am already aware," he replied. He knew that she would not try to defend Jaken's case to him, as he was hardly the toad's benefactor. He enjoyed irritating Jaken much more than either of those children, and had been doing so for far longer. 

"Jaken is very offended," Rin explained. 

"Good. If I had been there, he would have experienced more than just 'offense'."

Rin shook her head lightly in unexpressed amusement. It was amazing, the changes that had been wrought on him in such a relatively small amount of time, simply by the entry or exit of an individual in his life. It had been a slow conclusion for him to come to, that not all humans or half-demons were so beneath his notice. He was now surrounded by them, these beings he had held in utter contempt for most of his life, and they had taught him more than he would ever admit to. It was heart-warming, watching as, over the years, he had slowly extended himself to each individual. He had found that it was not such a bad thing, this love and adoration he received in exchange for his efforts.

"Are you going to keep hiding in here?" she asked him playfully.

"It is not 'hiding'," he was quick to defensively reply, then admitted, "but I had considered it, yes."

"Inuyasha mentioned something about teaching Ashitera 'Sankontessou'," Rin told him, eyebrows raised as she awaited the response she knew would come from that revelation.

His head turned sharply toward her then, and she knew she had just successfully struck on something that would draw him from the solitude of this room. "He is appallingly stupid. She is of a different bloodline entirely. Not all dog youkai have the same abilities."

"Then perhaps that is something you should take care of," she suggested lightly, then put up a restraining hand. "With a minimum amount of violence?"

He walked toward her, halting in the doorway with a dark look, but his expression swiftly morphed into something kinder. His lips quickly brushed against hers as he moved past her with the issued complaint, "I think I indulge you far too often."

* * *

  


**This was tough to write, because it deals with a time several years past the main part of the story. It's also probably a bit confusing in some places, because it makes reference to a character that will not appear until the sequel. I am going to deal with where Ashitera came from in the next story. That story is going to deal more with Sesshoumaru's problems with Eizan, which is going to build up into a big, nasty conflict. I'll also get to advance Rin and Sesshoumaru's relationship, which will be very fun!! :D So, essentially, I'm going to have to back up from this epilogue and fill in more of how they got to that point. But it was difficult resolving the Midoriko situation as I intended without explaining more of his life at the point where Miya comes in. **

**So … anyway, yep, I reincarnated Midoriko as Miya, Kagome and Inuyasha's daughter. I thought that would be kind of neat, considering how closely linked Kagome and the Shikon no Tama have always been, even back when her soul belonged to Kikyou. I liked the idea of "tying" them together like that. Plus, it was nice to sort of give Midoriko a second chance at a decent life, though, Miya is not actually Midoriko, just as Kagome is certainly not Kikyou. **

**And Inushiro … lol…I had a hard time coming up with a name for him. I liked the idea of keeping "Inu" … and looked up some random words in a Japanese dictionary until I came across "shiro" which means "white". White Dog. ;)**

**To the reviewers!**

**_D-Chan3:_ Hmm … actually, I don't really consider this story a "romance", exactly. It has some moments like that, but it was intended to be just a random action/adventure type thing, which is why I placed it in that category first. When I first started this story, I wasn't even entirely sure I'd put Sesshoumaru and Rin together. I think I spent like 5 or 6 chapters debating about that. ;) But I've warned several times that this would not end with a big "I Love You!" scene. I spent too much time building up Sesshoumaru's whole conflict with taking a human mate to just throw them together at the end like that. It would have been way too rushed. In fact, I'd say I went out of my way to avoid the mated-for-life-happy-ending type thing. I think it's much better to make them work to get to that point. But their relationship was not the main focus of this story … the main focus was the conflict with Ashrem and how it impacted people that were important to Sesshoumaru, which was resolved. **

**_New Fan:_ Actually, Eizan had nothing to do with Ashrem … but he's still going to pay for that little inadvertent "diversion" a few chapters back. ;) The next story will dive into that conflict and it'll kind of expose Rin and Sesshoumaru's real relationship, which will lead to more trouble. Basically, ****Japan****'s just not big enough for both Eizan and Sesshoumaru and they're going to try to tear each other down. But Sesshoumaru is going to find out he has more friends than he thinks he does. And whether he wants them or not … lol.**

**_It's me!:_ Hi, you! Well, I was kind of subtle about it at the end of Chapter 20 but they were "together". They were as together as he could let them be, because, as I mentioned in an earlier chapter, he is concerned about what the repercussions will be when everyone figures out just how "together" they really are. He'll be trying to keep some sort of distance between them in the next story, but that's going to dissolve pretty quickly … as you can see from the Epilogue on this story. ;) Rotfl …  don't worry, I'm a college student, so I don't live with my parents anymore. I promise I have quite an extensive life outside of this fic. ;) **

**_SessRinFan_****_:_ Actually, I will be starting a new fic … and this epilogue probably ruined part of it, but … *shrug*. ;) Fofl … if they became neighbors, no one else would want to live near them. They're way too loud when they get near each other. ;)**

**_Noir12:_ Of _course_ they never wanted to stop fighting! ;) How else are they to possibly relate to each other except through violence? ;) And, yes, Ashrem is very, very, very dead. No return for him. He is fertilizer.**

**_Sashlea_****_:_ LOL … yeah, wasn't that strange? I figured it was something they would both work on, since they both accidentally helped create the mess. Sesshoumaru didn't give Inuyasha all of the details, and Inuyasha wasn't paying terribly close attention. ;) Besides, I figure Inuyasha probably gets bored easily …**

**_Ghost140:_ Sorry about that … Midoriko didn't have a body to return to. It got blown away when Rin found the sword. Besides, I wanted to keep Sesshoumaru's relationship with her on the "friendship" level. It never really got beyond that. I had a good idea at that point that I'd be reincarnating her as Inuyasha's daughter, which is why I didn't proceed with a full-blown romance. It would have been too weird … even though, like I said earlier, Miya and Midoriko are too fully separate people. But I know what you mean. It's very cool when a girl can kick ass. I think Rin may become more useful in that regard in the next story. ;)**

**_Silvermuse89:_ Nope, sorry to say "Midoriko" is finished, although I'm considering having Miya's birth at the end of the sequel so that it can tie in more with the epilogue. Thank you! Yes, he is very, very difficult to write in a situation like that. It's just tough figuring out how far you can go. I tend to shy away from creating too much of a romantic scene with him, but that's something I'm going to have to work past for the next one. :D He'll never be "cutesy" in my stories, but I'd like to maybe lighten him up a little … poor repressed guy. ;)**

**_The Inimitable DA:_ My God … now there's an intimidating name. ;) I know exactly what you're talking about with fanfics. You just dive into them knowing that things are going to be "stretched" as you said. That's why I hesitate to call this a "romance" fic, because I have a hard time writing that with him. Some awesome fic writers out there manage to do it and I bow to their greatness. ;) To be honest, I couldn't think of any way for them to wind up romantically together unless they were separated for a while. Any other way is usually just too weird for my brain to wrap around it. Because, in my opinion, if she had stayed with him all those years he would have, in effect, raised her. That starts getting a little strange for me. ;) Oh, and my condolences on the "evil research". I absolutely feel your pain on that one.**

**_Cyhiraeth_****_:_ Maybe I thought something was missing because I've spent 6 months writing this story and it's suddenly over. ;) And you have a break from school now? I cannot express the jealousy in my heart … I am literally X-ing off days on a calendar until Spring Break. LOL … I love Inuyasha. He acts so tough, but he's really such a sweetie sometimes. I think those two are developing their own code for speaking: "Hell tossed your butt back out?" = "Hmm … I'm not exactly your fan, nor, shockingly enough, am I entirely opposed to your taking up space on this planet again." That was as much of a "Nice to see you" as Sesshoumaru was going to get. ;) Ahhhh … Ashrem's death. Yes, quite graphic and deservedly so! I've been waiting to do that to him forever. :D**


End file.
